Still Searching
by LiaBelle
Summary: They may have found Lindsay, but she still has a lot of searching within her self to do.....Sequel to Finding Montana
1. Where I Want to Be

Danny watched Lindsay sleeping peacefully next to him. The sight of her angelic face always brought a smile to his lips. She was so peaceful when she slept. Most of the time, anyway. Two or three times a week she'd wake up sweating and breathing like she'd just run a marathon. The tears that poured down her cheeks reminded Danny of how close had had been to losing her and how he never wanted to leave her side ever again. On those nights he held her close and let her cry, constantly assuring her that it was just a dream and that Trent couldn't hurt her anymore. It was those nights that were a constant reminder of how he needed her, how he couldn't live with out her.

"I caught you again," Lindsay said groggily, opening her eyes.

"Caught me what?" Danny smiled.

"Watching me sleep," she replied.

"Guilty as charged," Danny said, "I just can't help it – you're so beautiful when you sleep."

"Just when I sleep?" she asked playfully.

"No, all the time," Danny answered, "but especially when you sleep."

"Why especially when I sleep?"

"Because you're so peaceful," he told her kissing her lightly.

"Not always," she said, thinking of the nights when she had her nightmares.

Danny kissed her again. "I love you."

"I know," Lindsay smiled wickedly and went in for another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate. "I don't know what I'd do with out you, Danny," Lindsay admitted from the warm circle of his arms.

"Probably die," he joked, then immediately regretted it. She had become rather sensitive to the subject of death, which was understandable seeing as less than a month ago her life was about to end. "Sorry," he apologized quietly.

"It's ok," he assured him. "They aren't about Trent you know," she said quietly. "My dreams," she clarified.

"They aren't?" Danny asked, confused.

"Well, sort of, but there's more to it than that." She paused. "In the dream I'm back in that apartment, right before you came in. I'm looking at Trent's body lying on the floor; the blood is everywhere. And then – and then he turns into you and you're lying there dead and I'm holding the gun in my hand and - " She broke off because the tears were coming too hard. Danny pulled her more tightly against his chest. "And then Trent comes in and says 'I knew you didn't love him as much as you love me' and I shoot him, but he keeps multiplying and every time I shoot him he turns into you. So there's a bunch of living Trents laughing at me and a bunch of you lying dead on the floor," she finished thickly through her tears. "And it scares me to death." Lindsay was glad that she didn't look into Danny's eyes while telling him this, seeing as her back was pressed tightly against his chest.

"Montana, look at me," he rolled her over and pulled back a bit so that he could look into her eyes. "Trent is a thing of the past. He can't hurt you or me. We are going to forget about him and get married and live happily ever after, hear me?"

Lindsay nodded. "That sounds like a good plan to me," she smiled weakly through her tears.

Danny pulled her against him once again. "You're my whole world, Lindsay," he whispered fiercely, "and I'm terrified of losing you again."

"I'm not going anywhere," she said snuggling up closer to him. "I'm not going anywhere," she repeated, "this is right where I want to be."

**A/N I tend to begin stories with sleeping, don't I? lol. just realized that. anyway**, **heres the beginning. i have more ready if you like it...just review and tell me, k?**

** xoxo**

**Lia **


	2. Ready or Not

"I don't know if I'm ready to go back yet," Lindsay admitted to her fiancé as she dressed for her first day back at work.

"Sure ya are," Danny assured her, "You'll do fine. Besides, I think Stella'd kill ya if ya don't come back. Too much testosterone."

Lindsay smiled. "If you say so."

Danny pecked her on the lips. "I do say so and we both know I'm always right."

Lindsay scoffed. "Yeah, ok, think that if you want, Danny."

"Hey!" he mocked a look of offence. "That hurt me deeply, Montana."

"You'll get over it," she said lightly as she applied mascara.

"Maybe after therapy or somethin'"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Stop being dramatic."

"Seriously, Linds, I'm wounded."

Lindsay whirled around and caught him by the collar. She pulled him close and kissed him deeply. "Better?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"That's what I was shootin' for," Danny smirked mischievously.

Lindsay slugged him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, even though it hadn't hurt.

"You're such a big baby," Lindsay teased affectionately.

"But you love me," Danny said, a gleam in his eye.

"But I love you," she confirmed pulling him back for another kiss.

* * *

Lindsay and Danny walked into the break room and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what had been done to the place. A large banner that read "WELCOME BACK LINDSAY! WE MISSED YOU!" stretched across one wall and there wasn't an inch of space that wasn't covered with streamers, confetti and/or balloons. It was obviously the work of Stella. Lindsay glanced over at Danny, an annoyed expression on her face. "I had nothing to do with it!" he said, putting his hands up defensively. Everyone laughed. Stella ran up to Lindsay and hugged her.

"We missed you!" she exclaimed.

"That's pretty obvious, Stel," Lindsay teased.

Stella glanced around the room as though she were seeing it for the first time. "Ok, maybe I went a little bit overboard," she said sheepishly.

Lindsay laughed, "Yeah, just a little bit."

The rest of the team crowded around Lindsay. "It's good to have you back," Mac said.

"Yeah, we missed you," Flack added.

"I think Stella missed you the most, though," Hawkes put in, causing everyone to laugh.

"I missed you guys, too," Lindsay told them. She didn't add that she was slightly terrified to be back. Danny reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly as though he knew exactly what she was thinking.

The festivities went on for about 20 more minutes until Mac broke it up. "We do all have jobs to do…" he reminded them. Everyone groaned good-naturedly and went back to work.

* * *

Danny accompanied Lindsay to the locker room. She sighed slightly as she walked into the room and was bombarded by the familiar old smell of stinky gym socks. "I'd forgotten how bad it smells in here," she commented.

Danny laughed. "Yeah, it does smell pretty bad." He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, burying his head in her hair. "But you smell good," he murmured.

"I'm flattered," She said, smiling. She turned her head so that she could look up at him. "You don't smell bad yourself," she told him.

"That's good to know," he said. He put his hands on her hips and turned her around. "I'm glad you're back."

She laughed, "Why? I see you everyday. We live together, or did you forget?"

"No, I didn't forget," he grinned that cocky little grin of his that she loved so much. "It's kinda hard to forget when I wake up with you in my arms every morning. But, I am glad that you're back, because now I get to spend all day with you. " He kissed her lightly.

"Very true. I've never thought of it that way. I'm still scared though," she admitted.

"Don't be. You're safe here."

"May I remind you that last time I was on the job I was kidnapped, raped and almost murdered?" she said a little more harshly than she meant to. She bit her lip. "Sorry."

"It's ok, Linds. I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to you. I swear." He pulled her tighter.

She rested her head against his chest. "I know."

"I love you too much to let you get hurt again."

**A/N K, that's chapter 2. I just randomly added that little part at the end. I was going to end it at their little party, but changed my mind. Review are what make me happy!**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	3. Clash of Opinions

Lindsay shakily snapped pictures of a pretty young brunette lying dead with a kitchen knife plunged through her heart and an open eyed look of terror on her face.

"You ok?" Danny asked.

Lindsay nodded. She knelt down to get a closer shot of the knife protruding from the young girl's chest. When she stood back up a few minutes later Danny was no longer in the room. _You're ok, _she told herself, _don't freak out! He just went into the other room! _Flashes of her first meeting with Trent raced through her brain until she couldn't think any other logical thoughts. The camera slipped from her hands and onto the floor and her breathing became harsh and labored. "Danny!" she called out, placing a hand on the wall to steady herself.

When Danny heard the terror in her voice he realized his mistake and hurried back to Lindsay. He pulled her into his arms as she burst into tears. "I'm sorry, baby," he told her, "I shouldn't have left you."

"I kept seeing him," she whimpered, "he was in there with me and he was going to take me!"

"He's gone, Linds," Danny assured her gently. "He can't hurt you anymore. Nobody is going to hurt you." He held her tightly and stroked her hair lovingly. This was just as hard on Danny as it was on Lindsay. Seeing her in pain was one of the most terrible things he could experience.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled several minutes later. "This is stupid of me."

"No, it's not. You have every right to be upset."

She just sniffled and held onto Danny more tightly.

* * *

"Lindsay!" Mac caught up to her in the hallway.

She turned around. "Yeah, Mac?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure"

"In my office?"

Lindsay looked at him suspiciously. "Ok," she agreed.

He led her down the hall to his office, ushered her inside and invited her to sit down. He sat opposite her, behind his desk and took a deep breath. "I don't quite know how to address this subject, Lindsay…."

"Just come right out and say it," Lindsay suggested bluntly.

"Ok," Mac still hesitated for a moment. "I think that you should go see a therapist."

"What?" Lindsay had braced herself for the worst, but this totally wasn't what she had been expecting.

"I think you need to talk to someone," Mac said meekly.

"I talk to plenty of people," Lindsay said sarcastically, "you, Stella, Danny, my mother, the guy who delivers my pizza - "

"Lindsay," Mac cut her off, his facial expression indicating that he did not appreciate her sarcasm.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Danny agrees," Mac added quietly.

"Does he know?" Lindsay raised an eyebrow. "Then why is this the first I'm hearing about it?"

"Yes, he does agree. And he thought I should be the one to tell you."

"How convenient for him," she spat.

Mac ignored her and shifted uncomfortably. "He told me about what happened yesterday at the crime scene." Lindsay bit her lip and looked away. "And the nightmares." He finished.

"Well," Lindsay said briskly, standing up and heading towards the door. "I'll get right on that. I'll ask around and see which complete stranger is most recommended for me to bare my soul to." She ignored Mac as he began to protest and call her back. Without another word she left Mac's office and didn't look back.

* * *

"Are you mad at me?" Danny asked Lindsay alter that evening as she picked at her dinner without saying a word.

"Do you think I'm insane?" she asked.

"What? No." He said, slightly confused.

"Then how do you explain telling Mac that I need to see a therapist?" she asked getting up and taking her plate to the sink.

Danny sighed. "I think you need to talk about it." He said timidly in a very un-Danny fashion.

"Don't you think I've talked about it enough?" she angrily scraped spaghetti off of her plate. "Don't you think I'd like to just forget about it and move on?" tears pricked her eyes, causing Danny to feel immensely guilty. He longed to hold her in his arms, but didn't think that was the best idea at the moment.

"Sometimes to move on you have to talk about it," he said simply.

"So you're suggesting I spill my guts to a complete stranger? I thought I could talk to you, Danny!"

Danny flushed. "You can. I just thought you should talk to a professional."

"Oh, so my problems are too big for you to handle? Thanks, Danny, that means a lot to me," every word uttered was dripping with sarcasm.

"Lindsay, just listen. I love you, ok? And you're obviously hurting. It kills me to see you in pain, Linds. I just want you to be happy and to be able to forget all about this and move on."

This caused Lindsay to burst into tears and slide to the floor, further tearing Danny's heart in two. He crossed the kitchen, sat down next to her and cautiously put his arms around her, unsure if she'd allow it. She did, and rested her head against his strong chest. He pulled her onto his lap and pulled her closer, tears streaming down his cheeks as well.

**A/N Lots o' tears in this chapter, eh? Yeah, so the verdict?? Review!**

**xoxo**

**Lia.**


	4. Conversation

"You need a ring," Danny said suddenly several days later over breakfast.

"Huh?" Lindsay asked, still half asleep.

"A ring. An engagement ring. I did propose to you and you did say yes," he reminded her teasingly.

"Oh. A ring." She wasn't exactly sure what he expected her to say.

"What kind of ring do you want?" He asked.

"I don't care," a smile spread across her face, "surprise me."

"You want me to pick out the ring myself?" he asked.

"Yeah. Most guys pick one out before proposing, but seeing as your proposal was a spur of the moment thing, I guess you hadn't thought of that."

"Guess not." He paused. "You're serious? You're not gonna help me?"

"Nope." She smirked. "You're a big boy. You can figure it out yourself."

He rolled his eyes. "You like to keep me on my toes, don't you Montana?"

"I live for it." She glanced at her watch. "I've gotta go," she said ruefully.

"Your shift doesn't start for two hours," he told her, consulting his watch as well.

"I've got an appointment with a therapist today," she said, her voice and expression flat. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Lindsay…."

"I know, I know. It'll be good for me. Everybody's been shoving that crap down my throat for the last week." She stood up and collected her purse and coat.

Danny followed her to the door. "Something you want?" Lindsay asked, a smirk on her face.

"Yep," he pushed her up against the door and kissed her senseless. "I love you," he said when the kiss was over.

"I love you too," she kissed him one more time, and headed out the door, "I'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

Lindsay hesitantly knocked on the door to the department therapist's office. Within a minute the door swung open. A tall, willowy woman stood there, a friendly smile plastered on her face. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Dr. Montgomery," she introduced herself. "You must be Detective Monroe."

"Yeah," Lindsay confirmed, following Dr. Montgomery into the office.

"Take a seat," the doctor invited.

"Thanks." Lindsay sat down uncomfortably in a squashy red armchair. Dr. Montgomery took a seat across from her.

"So, Detective, tell me a bit about yourself."

"Call me Lindsay," Lindsay said. The doctor nodded and then motioned for her to answer the question. "Um, what do you want to know?"

"Where are you from? You obviously aren't a native New Yorker."

"I'm from Bozeman, Montana," she explained, "I moved here about 2 years ago."

"And what do you do?"

"I'm a CSI," Lindsay told her.

"Tell me about your coworkers," Dr. Montgomery suggested.

Lindsay was confused. What did this have to do with her therapy? She asked Dr. Montgomery this.

"I just want to know a little bit about you," the doctor said.

"Fine. My boss is Mac Taylor. He's a nice guy, kind of uptight sometimes, though. Stella Bonasera is the only other female on the team, aside from lab techs and medical examiners. She's probably one of my best friends. Um, Don Flack is a detective. He's an easygoing guy, I guess. Easy to talk to. Sheldon Hawkes used to be a doctor, then he was a medical examiner, but now he works in the field. And then there's Danny," she paused, and couldn't help the slow smile that spread across her face.

"I presume that you and Danny are more than coworkers?" Dr. Montgomery asked, a smile on her face as well.

"Yeah. We're engaged."

"Congratulations!" the doctor exclaimed. "Tell me about him."

"Uh, I don't even know where to start. He's amazing. He's always there for me and I can tell him anything. He acts like he's all tough, but he's such a softie."

"Sounds like quite the character," Dr. Montgomery said.

"Yeah, he's great."

"Why don't you tell me about Trenton Sloane?" Dr. Montgomery asked.

Lindsay tensed up. She didn't want to talk about Trenton Sloane. _You'd better get used to it, _she told herself, _he is the whole reason you're in therapy, after all. _"He was a complete and utter scumbag," Lindsay said, "And that's being nice."

"I see," Dr. Montgomery said.

"No, you don't!" Lindsay wanted to shout, "You don't understand at all! You're just paid to said therapist like things like 'I see' and pick people's brains." But she didn't. Instead she went on. "He kidnapped me from a crime scene about a month ago. He held me captive for 6 days before I was forced to kill him."

"That sounds rough," the doctor said.

"Yeah. He raped me." She added, feeling it was necessary she told the doctor the whole story, although Lindsay was pretty sure Dr. Montgomery knew what had gone on.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Montgomery apologized, a kindly expression on her face.

"It's not you're fault," Lindsay said.

"Whose fault is it?" the doctor asked, startling Lindsay.

"Trent's," she said simply.

"Why were you alone at the crime scene? Don't you normally have a partner."

"Danny had gone back to the lab to process some evidence," Lindsay said, "But I don't blame him," she added, knowing that the doctor was going to ask her about that next.

"You don't?" she asked, just like Lindsay thought she would.

"No. It's not his fault. How was he supposed to know that a creep had been stalking me and was hanging around the crime scene?"

"He was stalking you?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know that until after he kidnapped me. I guess he was really good at being discreet."

"Kidnapping and killing women isn't exactly discreet, Lindsay."

Lindsay sighed. "His stalking stills were pretty good," she rephrased.

"I see."

"Do you have to say that all the time?" Lindsay blurted out, "It's kind of annoying."

Dr. Montgomery raised her eyebrows. " I think that's enough for today, Lindsay."

"You're kicking me out?"

"Yes. You're getting upset. That's not what I'm trying to accomplish, you know. I'm not trying to make you relive every terrible moment of when you were captive. I'm trying to gibe you closure. And I think that's all the questions you can handle for now."

"Ok." Lindsay got up and left without saying another word.

**A/N Ok, forgive me. I have never been to a therapist. I have no idea what they would ask or say. I'm kinda making this up…. REVIEW!**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	5. My Montana

"Hey! Stella!" Lindsay called after her friend in the hallway of the lab.

Stella stopped and waited for Lindsay to catch up with her. "Yeah?"

"You want to have lunch?" she asked.

"Sure, just give me a sec to give this to Adam," she held up an evidence bag. "A hair from my scene," she explained.

Lindsay went along with Stella to find Adam. They found him, gave him the hair and left to go to lunch. "Did you have anywhere in mind?" Stella asked as they walked down the street.

"No," Lindsay said rather distractedly, "you choose."

Stella decided on a quaint little outdoor café. The two sat down and ordered drinks and salads. "How's it going with Dr. Montgomery?" Stella asked.

"Better," Lindsay admitted, "It's not as bad as I thought.

"I'm glad," Stella said, "We all just want you to be able to put this whole thing behind you."

"Thanks."

"Are you ok?" Stella asked her, "You look like there's something bothering you."

Lindsay waited for the waiter to giver them their drinks and walk away before blurting, "I think I might be pregnant!"

"Lindsay, that's wonderful!" Stella squealed, "Have you told Danny?"

"No, I want to be sure before I tell him."

"You don't seem too excited," Stella pointed out gently.

"I'm scared," Lindsay confided.

"About what?"

"Well, besides the fact that I'm personally responsible for the welfare of a developing human being for nine months…" she trailed off and Stella laughed. Lindsay shifted uncomfortably before continuing. "What if it's not Danny's baby?" she asked quietly.

Stella looked confused. "Who else could the baby belong to, Lindsay," she asked slowly, cautiously.

"Trent," Lindsay reminded her.

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot." Stella wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to say to her friend. "Why don't you just wait and see if you really are pregnant before worrying about that," she finally decided to say.

"I'm pretty sure I am. I haven't gotten a test or anything, but my period's over a month late."

"A month?" Stella suddenly realized something. "When were you supposed to get it?"

"Around the 15th, I think."

"And Trent took you on the 12th, right?"

"Yeah," Lindsay's eyes grew wide as she realized what Stella was getting at. "Trent didn't even rape me until the 17th! There's no way he can be the father!" She sighed in relief, "I'd never thought of that. Thank you, Stella!"

She smiled, "Any time."

* * *

"I've got something for you," Danny informed Lindsay the next day as they were snuggled up together on the couch watching TV.

"Oh, do you now? My birthday isn't for 3 months." She smiled.

"Well, I didn't want to wait that long to give this to you," he opened the drawer to in the coffee table (he'd obviously planned ahead) and pulled out a small white box tied with a pink bow. He handed it to her.

She slowly untied the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a black jewelry box. She smiled up at him before opening the second box. Inside was her engagement ring. "Danny!" she gasped, "It's beautiful!" It was a simple gold band with a classic diamond ring. Surrounding it was six small alternating blue and red gemstones.

Danny pointed to a blue stone, "This is sapphire, the state gemstone of Montana," then he pointed to a red one, "and this is garnet, the state gemstone of New York."

"Oh, Danny! That's so sweet! I love it!"

"Really?" Danny asked, an eager little kid on Christmas smile spreading over his face.

"Really." She confirmed.

"There's an engraving inside the ring," he told her.

She tipped the ring so that she could read the elegant script on the inside. _My Montana_ it read. Tears pricked her eyes. "Oh, Danny…"

"Sorry it took so long. I actually went looking for a ring that first day we talked about it, but none of them seemed good enough for you. So, I decided to get one custom made so that it'd be perfect, just like you are."

Lindsay put and end to his babbling with a kiss. "Do I have to put it on myself?" she asked.

Danny shook his head and took the ring from her. She held out her left hand and he slid it onto her finger. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Lindsay climbed up onto his lap and pushed him back so that he was lying down. She leaned over him and captured his mouth in a searing kiss.

A/N And I'll just leave the rest to your imagination….it got kinda sappy there in the middle, so I'm sorry, but I like showing the softer side of Danny. Reviews make me happy! 

**xoxo**

Lia 


	6. Just a Little Practice

Lindsay walked into Dr. Montgomery's office a few weeks later and took a seat in her usual chair. "Good morning," she chirped.

"My, you are happy this morning," Dr. Montgomery commented.

"I went to see my OB/GYN yesterday," Lindsay informed her with a smile.

"Oh really?"

"I'm having a baby!" she exploded.

"That's wonderful! Have you told Danny yet?"

"No. I'm going to wait until his birthday to tell him. It's next Wednesday."

"I'm sure you have some cute, little idea."

"I'm working on one," Lindsay couldn't stop smiling.

"Lindsay," Dr. Montgomery began, "I hate to burst you bubble, but have you considered the possibility that the baby belongs to Trent?"

To the doctor's surprise, Lindsay didn't even flinch. "Stella and I figured it out. It's not possible. I was supposed to be on my period when he was holding me hostage, but wasn't."

"Well, that's a relief," Dr. Montgomery said.

"I know. I was freaking out for a while, but Stella helped me figure it out."

"That's good. How are you?"

"I'm great!" Lindsay said honestly, "I'm doing so much better."

"Any nightmares?"

"Not for 2 weeks." Lindsay reported.

"That's wonderful," Dr. Montgomery said.

"I've been sleeping so much better," Lindsay laughed.

"I would imagine."

"I don't think he'd ever admit it, but I'm sure Danny is glad they're gone. He was always so sweet about it, you know, but I'm sure he appreciates the extra sleep. I know I do."

"That's good. Listen, Lindsay, because you're doing so well, I thin we can cut down your visits to once every two weeks."

"Really? That's great!"

"Yes it is! If anything comes up, feel free to call me. You're always welcome if you need to talk."

"Ok, thanks Dr. Montgomery," Lindsay got up to leave. "I'll keep you updated on the baby," she promised before exiting the office and heading home.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Danny," Lindsay kissed a very groggy Danny sweetly on the lips.

"Don't wanna get up," he groaned.

"Not even on your birthday?" she teased, kissing him again.

"Nope. I wanna stay here with you all day." He rolled over on top of her and kissed her deeply.

Lindsay sighed. "I'd love that, Danny," she kissed him, "but we can't," another kiss, "and you know it."

He rolled back off of her. "You're right."

"Aren't I always?"

"Most of the time."

She rolled her eyes. "All of the time," she corrected him. "Now get up! I have a special present that I want to give you before work."

"A special present?" his eyes lit up and he couldn't help the smile that popped up onto his face.

"You're such a little kid," she laughed, standing up and heading towards the bathroom.

"I'll be ready faster if we can shower together," Danny waggled his eyebrows.

Lindsay sighed dramatically. "Fine. Come on."

Their shower wasn't quite as quick as Danny had promised, but that was to be expected. Within an hour, they were both dry and mostly ready to go.

"Sit," Lindsay commanded, pointing to a chair. He obliged, and she scurried back to the bedroom to unearth the present she had carefully hidden. It was wrapped simply in blue wrapping paper.

"No bow?" Danny asked, pretending to be upset.

"I didn't think it'd be manly enough," she smiled. "Open it," Lindsay was barely able to contain her excitement.

Danny unwrapped the present and opened the box the wrapping paper concealed. Inside laid a baby doll. "A baby doll?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Lindsay nodded. When he lifted it out of the box a note fluttered out. He glanced up at Lindsay, who was biting her lip nervously, before picking the note up off of the floor and reading it. Lindsay's neat handwritten note read:

_Just thought you'd like to get a little practice._

Danny's eyes widened as he read and re-read the note. "Linds, are you…" he trailed off, a smile creeping onto his face, "Am I gonna be a daddy?" he asked slowly. Lindsay nodded her head slightly, still biting her lip, not sure how he was going to react.

Danny jumped up and pulled Lindsay into his arms. "I'm gonna be a daddy!" he exclaimed spinning her around in a circle. Lindsay laughed, halfway out of relief, and threw her arms around him. Finally, he set her back down on the floor and kissed her passionately.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" Lindsay asked, "I mean we never really talked about having kids…."

Danny cut her off with another kiss. "I'm more than ok with this, Montana. You just made me the happiest man in New York. Maybe even the whole world."

Tears pricked Lindsay's eyes. "Good. I really want this baby, Danny." She admitted.

"Me too, Linds, me too," he pulled her against him once more. When he pulled back her surprised her by crouching down and gently kissing her stomach. "Hello, baby," he whispered. His actions caused the tears blurring Lindsay's vision to fall down onto her cheeks. She pulled him back up and kissed him. "Can I tell everyone?" Danny asked eagerly.

"Don't you think we should wait?" Lindsay asked.

"No. I want everybody to know that you're havin' our baby," he said, wiping away her tears with both of his thumbs.

She laughed, "Fine. Tell everyone. Besides, Stella already knows, and she's probably dying not being able to say anything."

Danny looked a little hurt, "You told Stella before me?"

She kissed him lightly. "I'm sorry. But I had to say something to someone, and I wasn't sure if I even was pregnant yet and I was afraid it might be Trent's baby and - "

"It might be Trent's baby?" Danny asked, cutting her off.

"No, no, Stella and I figured it out. It can't be Trent's baby. But I didn't realize it at the time, and I wasn't sure if you'd want the baby if it was Trent's and so I talked to Stella -" she babbled.

"Lindsay," he said.

"And I didn't even mean to tell her, it just kind of came out- "

"Lindsay," he tried again.

She stopped mid-sentence. "What?"

"Just for the record, I'd still want this baby, even if the tests said that I wasn't the biological father. It'd still be my child."

Tears welled up in Lindsay's eyes again, "That's so sweet," she sighed, "I love you."

"I love you, too. And I love our baby," Danny told her.

"You're just about perfect, Daniel Messer," Lindsay murmured into his ear, "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but whatever it is, I'm glad I did it."

"I love you," Danny said again, holding her in his arms.

The two stayed in their tender embrace for several minutes until Danny spoke up, "I can't wait to see the look of Flack's face when I tell him that I'm gonna be a daddy," he laughed.

Lindsay giggled. "I should bring a camera and take a picture," she suggested.

"Good idea, Linds," he laughed again.

"Come on," she took his hand and fairly pulled him towards the door, "Let's go tell them!"

**A/N Sorry about the long wait. I've been out of town without my computer! How sad, I know! Anyway…yay! She told him! What do you think? Reviews are what make the world go 'round**.

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	7. The Look on Flack's Face

Danny had not stopped smiling since Lindsay told him the news. "You're way to happy today, Messer," Flack told him, "It's creeping me out."

"Lindsay's pregnant," Danny announced, and walked away.

"Danny!" Lindsay scolded.

Flack ran after them. "Whoa! Wait! Say that again!" His facial expression was even better than Danny had imagined.

"Lindsay's pregnant," Danny told him simply.

"As in a baby?" Flack asked, still incredulous.

"No, an antelope," Lindsay said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Messer's gonna be a daddy?" Flack exclaimed.

"No, he's going to be the mother," Lindsay said, still sarcastic, but secretly loving every minute of it.

Flack pretended to faint. "And I was surprised when he said that he's getting married. Now he's having a kid?"

"Actually, I'm having the kid, technically," Lindsay smirked.

"Ha ha, Lindsay, very funny," Flack said.

Danny put his arm around Lindsay. "Yep, there's gonna be a little Dansay running around here soon."

"Dansay?" Flack asked.

"Mixture of Lindsay and Danny. Or you could say Dantana, but Linds might kill you. She hates it."

"Montana's bad enough!" Lindsay protested.

"You know you love it when I call you that," Danny teased.

"Ok," she sighed dramatically, "maybe a little bit."

Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, a lot," she admitted, lightly kissing him on the lips.

"Ew. Guys, I'm still here," Flack coughed.

"Grow up, Flack," the couple said at the same time, causing even Flack to laugh.

"Ok, seriously, guys, congratulations," Flack said, adopting a more serious, yet sincere tone, "Never thought it'd happen, but congratulations."

"Thanks, Don," Lindsay said, smiling sweetly as she and Danny began to walk away.

"Oh, and Danny," Flack called after them, "Happy Birthday!"

"Happy Birthday, Danny," Stella and Mac both chorused when he and Lindsay walked into the break room to get their daily dose of caffeine.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday," Hawkes added.

"Guys, I've made a decision," Danny announced. Lindsay looked at him curiously, not sure where this was leading, but didn't interrupt him. "Instead of saying 'Happy Birthday', from now on, I'd like you to say 'Happy The Love of Your Life Just Told You She's Having A Baby Day.' Ok?"

Both Mac's and Hawke's jaws dropped. Stella shrieked. "You told him?"

Lindsay nodded. Mac and Hawkes turned to her, "You knew?" Mac gasped.

"Of course I knew. It's my job to know." Stella informed them nonchalantly.

"No, it's your job to catch bad guys," Hawkes corrected her.

"Whatever."

"Um, guys, Lindsay's the one that's pregnant…" Danny interjected.

Mac and Hawkes turned to the two. "Congratulations!" they both said at the same time.

Lindsay beamed. "Thanks!"

"Danny Messer a daddy," Hawkes mused, "Never thought I'd be saying those words."

"Shut up, Hawkes," Danny grouched, "I already got that from Flack."

"Flack knew?" Mac asked.

"I told him like 5 minutes ago," Danny rolled his eyes.

"Ok," Lindsay put in, not liking all the fuss, "I'm pregnant, Danny's defying what seems possible and we all need to get back to work!"

"Now there's an attitude I like," Mac joked.

**A/N Short, kinda weird…but it's ok. With me at least. Like? Not like? What?**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	8. Not Family to Me

The phone was ringing. It was entirely too early for the phone to be ringing. Danny rolled over to check Caller ID. Bozeman, Montana, it read. "Linds," he said groggily. "It's for you." He half handed, half threw the phone at her and closed his eyes again.

Lindsay answered the phone. "Hello?"

"_Lindsay! It's LeeAnne!" _Lindsay's stepmother was entirely too happy. It was 7 AM in New York, meaning that it was 5 in Montana.

"Hi, LeeAnne," Lindsay greeted sleepily. "It's early."

"_Well, I did the calculation and it's 7 in New York!" _ As if Lindsay didn't already know that. What LeeAnne failed to put into her calculation was the fact that Lindsay and Danny had been on shift until four that morning. A case took entirely too long and they hadn't gotten home until nearly five.

"So, what did you want?" Lindsay knew that she sounded rude, but frankly she didn't really care. LeeAnne definitely wasn't anywhere near the top of her favorite people list.

"_We got your wedding invitation in the mail the other day," _LeeAnne chirped. "_It seems awfully soon, don't you think?"_

_Yeah, well I wanted to get married before I got fat, _Lindsay thought to herself. She didn't say this out loud, of course. LeeAnne and Lindsay's father knew nothing about the baby. Bill Monroe would have a fit if he found out that his daughter was pregnant before she was married. "Yeah, well I just couldn't wait any longer," Lindsay said, telling her the first excuse she could think of.

"_Well, isn't that sweet?" _ LeeAnne gushed. Lindsay could hear the false enthusiasm in her stepmother's voice from thousands of miles away. _"It's just so unfortunate that we won't be able to make it."_

"What?" Lindsay exclaimed so loudly that Danny was startled awake.

LeeAnne didn't even seem fazed. _"The wedding's two days before Becky's birthday," _she said, naming Lindsay's much younger half sister. _"I'm not sure if we'll be able to be back home by then."_

"Becky could always celebrate her birthday here," Lindsay suggested, "I could take her shopping and to all the sights."

"_No," _LeeAnne simpered, _"it just wouldn't be the same for her if she wasn't at home with all her friends. You only turn 17 once, you know."_

Lindsay scoffed. Seventeen. It wasn't that important of a birthday anyway. If it was her eighteenth birthday, or even her sixteenth she'd have understood, but seventeenth? That was just Becky's unbelievably spoiled treatment showing through. "LeeAnne," she protested, "you only get married once."

"_With you we could never ensure that, now could we_," LeeAnne said

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lindsay snapped. She hated LeeAnne right now. "This is my wedding we're talking about!" Danny had fully woken up and was sitting up in bed now, trying to figure out what the conversation was about, exactly.

"_I'm sorry, Lindsay, I really am," _LeeAnne apologized, _"But we have poor Becky to think about. Besides, we don't really know if this marriage is going to last," _LeeAnne scoffed.

"Poor Becky?" Lindsay exploded, "The girl never lifts a finger! She's a spoiled little brat! And of course my marriage is going to last! Why wouldn't it?"

"_Lindsay!" _LeeAnne gasped, horrified, _"Don't talk about your sister like that! You are such an ungrateful child, Lindsay! You push people away and don't let them get close! That's why this marriage isn't going to last! You're not cut out for love. "_

"I am not your child, LeeAnne. I want to speak to my father," Lindsay said through clenched teeth.

"_I'm afraid that just isn't possible," _LeeAnne replied.

"Let me speak to my father, right now!" Lindsay practically yelled.

"_No! We are not coming, that is that! Your father and I talked about it and decided together that this is the best solution. Nothing you can say to your father will change that."_

"Fine," Lindsay said, close to tears, "I don't want you here anyway. You're not my mother. You are not family to me. And I don't want that spoiled little brat of a daughter of yours here anyway. Tell Becky happy birthday for me," she spat bitterly and hung up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Danny asked, as soon as Lindsay was finished with LeeAnne.

"They're not coming." Lindsay said shortly, laying back down and pulling the covers up to her chin.

"Who's not coming to what?"

"My family is not coming to our wedding," she snapped, tears brimming in her chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he said, taking her into his arms.

"It's ok. I don't want them here anyway. LeeAnne and Becky aren't family to me anyway." Lindsay rarely spoke of her family, even to Danny. All he knew is that her mother died when she was a teenager, and her father had almost immediately married LeeAnne, who had Becky shortly after. Lindsay and LeeAnne were constantly battling it out and Lindsay's father always took LeeAnne's side. He let her control him and make all the decisions for the family, always in hers and Becky's favor. A lone tear slid down Lindsay's face. "I wanted my daddy here, though," her lip trembled but she refused to let any more tears fall.

Danny pulled her closer. "It'll be ok," he crooned into her ear. "Let's just get some sleep. We'll talk about this later." With that, they both fell into exhausted sleep.

**A/N Sorry. I just had to create one of those characters that everybody loves to hate. I love them. Writing them is just so fun! Anyway, R&R!**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	9. Small and Imperfect

"I don't want to talk about it," Lindsay snapped much later that day when Danny asked her about LeeAnne's phone call.

"Lindsay…." He chided.

"Don't 'Lindsay' me," she snarled. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Ok. Fine." Danny said shortly, climbed out of bed and headed to the kitchen.

Immediately Lindsay felt guilty. She got up and padded to the kitchen. He was making coffee, his back was turned to her and he didn't turn around when he heard her come into the room. Lindsay came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle from behind. She stood on tiptoe and rested her chin on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly, but soon relaxed. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I shouldn't have snapped at you. You didn't deserve it."

"It's ok," he sighed.

"No, it's not," she said sadly.

He twisted around so that he was facing her and put his arms loosely around her waist. She moved so that her arms were resting on his shoulders. "You're right," he said quietly, "It's not ok." Tears filled her eyes, and he tried his best to ignore them as he continued. "Linds, I understand why you're so upset an' everythin', but I hate it when you take it all out on me." Her chin quivered. "I love you, and I hate seein' you hurt, but I hate it even more when you don't let me help you. You push me away sometimes and don't let me in." Tears slid down her face.

"That's what LeeAnne always told me," she choked out. "She doesn't think that you'll go through with the wedding, and if you do, she doesn't think it'll last too long. She said that I'll drive you away."

"Lindsay, we are getting married. I don't care what LeeAnne said. I am marryin' you and I plan on stayin' married to you until the day I die, unless you have some sorta problem with that."

Lindsay's tears fell harder and faster. She wished that Danny would pull her against him and stroke her hair and tell her that everything was going to be fine. She longed to be closer to him and be able to smell his spicy scent, yet he kept his distance, only touching her lightly around the waist. "I don't want her to be right," she cried pitifully, "I want to prove her wrong. I want to show her that I don't push everyone away."

"Then forget them," he told her gently, "Forget LeeAnne and Becky and your father and marry me. We have our own family at the lab and with my parents. My mother adores ya," he reminded her, "And soon, you'll bring our child into this world and we'll be our own little family. It'll be a small one, but we'll love each other and that's all that matters. Sure, we won't be perfect, but we'll be happy."

Lindsay nodded. There was a lump of emotion stuck in her throat that prevented her from speaking. "I love you," she finally managed to say. "I don't want to ruin us."

Lindsay's face was so sad and vulnerable, her voice so hesitant and sorrowful, that it physically hurt Danny inside. He finally gave them the satisfaction they both longed for and pulled her tightly against him. She let out a sob against his chest. Tears were wetting his t-shirt. "Shh," he murmured, "It's ok. I love you, Montana."

"We don't need them," Lindsay said finally, "You're right, we have the team and your mom and our baby."

"And we have each other," Danny added. "That's all that matters."

Lindsay closed her eyes and sighed against Danny's chest. She wasn't going to mess things up. She no longer cared what LeeAnne or Becky thought. All she needed was Danny.

**A/N Oh, the drama. It's short. Just a little snippet. So, I'm sorry. Review!**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	10. The Wedding

Lindsay paced back and forth nervously. It was killing her to wait like this. Why couldn't she just go out there and marry him already? Five more minutes, they kept telling her, just wait five minutes. But then five turned into ten and ten turned in fifteen. Lindsay began to panic. What if Danny had ditched? What if he had run away and they couldn't find him and that's why they were making her wait. "Stella, I'm going to throw up," she gasped.

Stella hurried over to her friend. She made her sit down and Stella sat next to Lindsay, rubbing her back. "No, you're not. Everything is going to be ok. I just talked to Flack. Danny's almost ready, and then we're going to start, ok?"

Lindsay nodded, not feeling capable of forming words.

Several minutes later there was a quiet knock on the door that caused Lindsay to jump. "Is it time?" she asked Stella eagerly.

Stella shrugged and went to open the door. It was Mac. "Please tell me that it's time," she whispered urgently, "Lindsay's about to explode."

"Almost," Mac whispered back, biting back a smile, "Let me talk to her for a second."

"Ok." Stella ducked out of the room and Mac went to sit next to Lindsay.

"Hey, Mac," she said quietly.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lindsay said, "I wish they'd just start already!"

Mac chuckled. "Lindsay," he said, his tone of voice changing to a more serious, almost embarrassed one, "I have something to ask you. More like offer, I guess," he said stumbling over his words a bit.

"What?"

"Well, I was just thinking that since your father wasn't going to be here I could walk you down the aisle, if you want," he blurted out, "If you don't want me to, that's ok," he added quickly, "But I just wanted to let you know that you had that option."

A beaming smile spread across Lindsay's face. "Really?"

"Yeah," Mac said, slightly embarrassed.

Lindsay threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "That's so sweet!" she exclaimed, "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," Mac let out a sigh of relief.

Stella came back into the room just then. "They're ready, Linds," she announced.

Lindsay squealed and stood up. She ran over to Stella and hugged her quickly. "Thank you for everything, Stella," she said.

* * *

The guests at the wedding of Daniel Messer and Lindsay Monroe gasped audibly when they saw Lindsay float down the aisle on the arm of Mac Taylor. Danny locked eyes with her, and couldn't seem to tear them away. He actually shed a tear watching his bride walk down the aisle towards him. She was radiant! A smile danced across her face and her cheeks were glowing pink with excitement. Her long white gown was simple, yet beautiful, just like she was and her brunette curls hung loosely around her face.

Lindsay hardly acknowledged the presence of her guests and she walked down the aisle. She didn't see Dr. Montgomery or Flack or Peyton and Danny's mother and sister. All she could focus on was Danny. She had always thought he looked cute in a tuxedo, but somehow he looked even more handsome than she'd ever seen him. She wanted to just ditch the whole idea of a calm, composed, blushing bride and sprint down the aisle to her future. It seemed as thought she and Mac were walking at a snail's pace.

Finally, she made it. Mac kissed her on the cheek and handed her off to Danny. He held her hand tightly and wished that they could get to the "man and wife" part. That's all he really cared about at this point. They both cried through their vows, and finally they heard the words, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Danny took Lindsay into his arms and kissed her. Lindsay rested her head on his shoulder, soaking his tux jacket with her tears. "I love you, My Montana," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she murmured.

* * *

The reception immediately followed the wedding. It was held outdoors and seemed just as perfect as the wedding. Danny and Lindsay never stopped smiling, and rarely left each other's side. Mac thought that Danny was going to cry when he asked Lindsay to dance with him. "It's just a few minutes, Danny," Mac teased, "You have a whole lifetime together." Danny brightened when he heard those words, loving the idea of spending his entire life with Lindsay.

"Ok," he sighed dramatically, "fine, go dance with her. But remember she's mine," he said jokingly.

Lindsay kissed Danny quickly on the lips and allowed Mac to lead her onto the dance floor.

Danny stood there watching his beautiful wife dancing with his boss. Suddenly he heard a voice behind him. "Didn't think I'd ever see Daniel Messer a married man."

Danny turned around and saw his best friend standing there. "Aw, shut up, Flack," he said, but secretly enjoyed it.

Don walked forward so that he was standing side by side with Danny. "She really is something, Danny, isn't she?"

Danny couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. Lindsay was laughing at something that Mac had said. Danny always thought that she was the most beautiful when she was laughing. Or sleeping. He smiled, remembering that conversation they'd had about her peacefulness when sleeping. "Yeah, she is," Danny agreed. "But she's taken," he said protectively, "Remember that Flack, and keep your dirty little paws off of my Montana."

Don smiled. "I will, Danny. You'd kill me if I so much as touched her."

Danny nodded, "You got that right."

"Really, Danny," Flack said, his voice changing to a more serious tone, "I'm really happy for you. I don't think I've seen you this happy since – " he cut off, not wanting to bring bad memories to such a happy day. "Well, in a really long time."

"She's my whole world," Danny said quietly, "I'd be nothin' without her. I love her so much."

"I can tell. It's so obvious every time you look at her or even say her name," Flack teased.

"Shut up!" Danny flushed slightly. He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It's true," he admitted.

The music ended and Mac accompanied Lindsay back over to Danny. "My turn," Flack exclaimed as soon as Lindsay had settled herself next to Danny.

Danny scowled. "No, my turn," he insisted.

"C'mon, Dan, you've got an entire lifetime ahead of you! I just want one measly dance!"

"That's what Mac said," Danny informed him crossly.

"Boys, boys!" Lindsay laughed as the two friends fought over her. "There's enough of me to go around!" She laughed even harder at Danny's shocked reaction to her saying that. "You know what I mean, Danny!" She rolled her eyes. "I'll dance with Flack, and then Danny can have a turn." Danny scowled again. "Stop being such a baby," she chided kissing him gently.

"Montana," he whined, grabbing her hand when Flack tried to lead her away.

Lindsay sighed dramatically. "Just a sec, Flack," she told him. She let go of Don's hand and allowed Danny to pull her close. She kissed him deeply and stayed in his arm for a minute before pulling away. "Better?" she asked.

"Much." Danny smiled and pecked her on the lips once more. "You can take her now, Flack," he informed his friend.

"Thank you, Danny," Flack said sarcastically, "I appreciate it!"

Stella approached Danny soon after Flack led Lindsay away. Mac had found Peyton and was now dancing with her. "I know I'm not the bride," she said with a smile, "but I feel a little left out."

"What about Sid?" Danny asked with a teasing smirk, "Or Hawkes?"

"Sid's dancing with a lab tech and Hawkes brought his girlfriend, remember?"

"Oh, well then I guess I have to," Danny sighed with fake exasperation, "Wouldn't want you to feel bad about yourself."

Danny shared the dance with Stella, but as soon as it ended he ditched her and searched out Flack. "My turn," he informed him bluntly, pulling Lindsay away from him, "We can trade," he gestured in the general direction of Stella, "Stella's over there."

Finally Danny pulled his wife into his arms and got to dance with her. "I've been waiting all day for this," he whispered into her ear.

She smiled and laid her head on his muscular chest. "Me too," she whispered back.

"How much longer do you think we have to stay at this thing?" Danny asked her with a gleam in his eye.

"Daniel Messer!" Lindsay scolded teasingly, "This is our wedding reception!"

"Big deal," Danny said, "The wedding night is much more important." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Nice try, Danny," Lindsay said.

"Please," he gave her his best puppy dog face.

"We still have to cut the cake."

"Screw the cake!" Danny exploded.

Lindsay laughed. "That's definitely going in my Best of Danny book."

"You have a book?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No," she pecked him on the lips, "but I could make one if you want."

"Make the book," he ordered her.

"Then we have to wait until this thing is over," she informed him.

Danny sighed. "Not both?"

"Nope," she said.

"Fine, I'll take the book," he said after careful consideration.

Lindsay laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I have some ideas," he said suggestively.

"Danny!" she laughed. "You really do have a one track mind, don't you?"

"No, I think about other things. You, the baby, ridding the world from evil, the baby, you, the baby, you…" he trailed off. "Mostly you and the baby," he said with a shrug.

She kissed him. "That's sweet."

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you more," she decided.

"Nu-uh," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah huh!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

They both started laughing at the sheer stupidity of their banter. The song ended and the guests urged them to cut the cake.

After what seemed like hours they had gone through the cutting of the cake, throwing of the bouquet and garter and all the other traditional wedding reception activities and were off on their honeymoon.

"Life sure is gonna be different around here," Stella mused as she watched them drive away.

"Yep," Mac agreed, "Just wait a few months. When Baby Messer comes into the world things are going to get interesting."

**A/N Argh. Sry about that. Ik that a lot of it seemed rushed, but I didn't know how else to end the chapter. And I really didn't want to waste my time writing lame filler crap. So…yeah. Reviews are nice.**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	11. And Baby Makes Three

Danny woke up in the middle of the night and realized that Lindsay wasn't there. He was momentarily confused, but got up and padded down the hall to the nursery. There sat his wife in a rocking chair, nursing their tiny newborn baby. That intense feeling of pride that was becoming very familiar to him swelled within and he stood there for a moment just watching his beautiful Montana and his sweet baby girl. Lindsay eyes soon began to droop and Danny walked into the room and gently lifted baby Sophia out of her mother's arms and laid her in her crib. He then lifted his wife and carried her back to bed. "Sophie needs a new diaper, " Lindsay said sleepily when he laid her down.

"I'll take care of it," he said gently, "Go back to sleep."

"Thanks, Danny," she said, "I love you."

"I love you too, Montana," he kissed her on the forehead. "Now go to sleep." He waited there with her until she fell asleep and Sophia began to squawk from down the hall.

He went to her and lifted her out of the crib. "Shh, Sophie," he crooned, "Don't wake Mommy," he laid her down on the changing table and got a clean diaper. He smiled as his little daughter gurgled and a hint of a smile crossed her tiny face.

Flashback

"_Isn't she beautiful, Danny?" Lindsay asked, tears of pride welled up in her eyes as she held her daughter for the first time._

_Danny had to sniffle and wipe the tears away with the back of his hand before answering. "She's perfect," he whispered. "Thank you, Lindsay."_

"_For what?" she furrowed her brow in confusion. _

"_For making me the happiest man alive." He kissed his wife gently on the forehead and then his daughter. _

_Lindsay handed the baby to her father. Sophia's eyes flickered open for a second, and Danny began to cry again when he saw that they were the exact same shade as his own eyes. Everything else about Sophia Elaine Messer screamed Lindsay, but those two little cobalt eyes were unmistakably his. "Look at her eyes, Danny," Lindsay said, "They're just like yours." _

"_I know," Danny said, blinking away the tears that blurred his vision. "They're mine." _

"_Enjoy this moment, Danny," Lindsay told him smiling, "Because we're not going to have a quiet moment for several months."_

_Right then the entire team burst into Lindsay's hospital room making the most racket possible, causing Danny and Lindsay to crack up. "What's so funny?" Stella asked. _

_Neither of them was able to answer them because they were laughing too hard. Sophia woke up and began to cry, obviously terrified by all the noise. The team quieted immediately, all of them feeling terribly guilty that they were responsible for waking the baby up. Danny rocked Sophia gently and rubbed her tiny little back until she quieted down again. He expected her to fall back to sleep, but she didn't. She just lay there in his arms, her deep blue eyes wide and curious. _

_Everybody stood in an almost reverent silence, watching baby Sophia. Suddenly Stella started laughing. _

"_What?" everybody asked at once. _

"_I just realized," Stella said between giggles, "That we've been standing her for nearly 5 minutes and we still don't know the baby's name."_

_Everybody else laughed. She was right. Lindsay and Danny had failed to announce the name, and everyone else had failed to ask. Danny and Lindsay exchanged a look. "You wanna tell?" Danny asked. _

"_No, you can," Lindsay told him._

"_How about we do it together?" _

"_Would you guys just get on with it?" Stella asked, her impatient side showing through. _

"_Ok, ok," Danny said. "Her name is –"_

"_Sophia Elaine Messer," he and Lindsay chorused together. _

"_That's beautiful!" Stella exclaimed. _

_Danny and Lindsay smiled modestly although they were both secretly thinking that beautiful was quite the understatement._

"_Can I hold my little god baby, or not?" Stella asked, her impatience growing. _

_Danny handed the baby to her godmother carefully. "Oh, she's beautiful," Stella crooned. _

"_Is she named for anybody?" Peyton asked politely. _

"_We just like the name Sophia," Lindsay began, "But Elaine was my mother's name." _

"_And the meanings are really cool, too," Danny added, "Sophia means 'wisdom' and Elaine means 'light.'"_

"_Stella, I think it's my turn," Mac decided. _

"_No," she replied stubbornly, turning the baby away from him. _

"_Hey," he whined in a way very unlike his normal self, "She's my god daughter too!"_

_Hawkes chuckled, "You guys sound like kids. Just give her up, Stel. I'm sure it won't be the last time you hold her."_

_Stella huffed. "Turning against me, are you?"_

"_I'm not!" Flack interjected brightly. "I'm on your side."_

"_Thank you, Flack," she shot Hawkes a mock angry glare as she handed Sophia over to her godfather _

_Danny rolled his eyes. "I find it hard to believe that when you guys leave here you're goin' to go save the world from bad guys."_

"_I know," Lindsay agreed sarcastically, "it makes me feel so safe I might even sleep with my door unlocked tonight."_

"_Ha ha," Stella said without humor. _

_The team all had to leave soon after. Once they were gone the room seemed too large and quiet. Lindsay's eyes began to droop. Danny noticed this. "Go to sleep," he told her, "I'll watch Sophie."_

_End Flashback_

Danny finished changing Sophie's diaper, but she began to scream when he tried to set her down in her crib. "Shh, don't wake Mommy," he warned again, "She's no fun when she's grumpy. Trust me, I know," he smiled as though he had just shared a valuable secret with his baby girl. Sophia cooed contently. Danny tried once more to lay her down, but she began to cry again. Not wanting Lindsay to wake up, he picked his child up again and settled down in the rocking chair with her lying against his chest. He gently rocked back and forth. "Go to sleep, Fee," he urged, using his special pet name for her, "Mommy and Daddy need sleep and so do you."

Lindsay woke up several hours later and panicked when she glanced at the clock. Sophia hadn't woken up for another feeding. What if something had happened to her? She hurried down the hall, but stopped at the doorway of the nursery. A smile spread her face as she saw Danny's hunched formed sleeping uncomfortably in the rocking chair, Sophie held protectively against his chest. She really didn't want to disturb them, but knew that she had to or else they'd both be cranky in the morning.

She crossed the room and crouched down by the rocking chair. "Danny," she whispered, kissing him gently on the lips.

Danny startled awake. "What?!" He blinked a few times and soon realized where he was. His baby girl lay fast asleep in his arms and his back was very sore. Lindsay giggled and gently lifted Sophia out of his arms.

"Go to bed," she told him.

"Naw, it's ok," he said. "I'll stay up with you." He got up out of the rocking chair so that she could sit to nurse Sophia.

"Thanks, Danny. It means a lot."

"No problem, Montana, it's not problem at all."

**A/N Yes, it's another awkward ending, but I wasn't sure how to end it. And obviously this chapter takes place several months later. But I'm sure you figured that out.**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	12. Unexpected Visitor

There was a soft knock on the door the next morning. "Could ya get that, babe?" Danny called from the bedroom.

Lindsay sighed. Danny had to go back to work today and she had been hoping to catch a few minutes of sleep before he left. He was probably changing or something, but still. With little Sophie fast asleep in her arms she went to answer the door.

She opened the door and almost dropped the baby when she saw who it was. "Dad? What are you doing here?" she stuttered.

Danny materialized behind her just then. "I called him." he paused. "Multiple times, actually. LeeAnne never let me talk to him so I had ta wait until he answered the phone."

Lindsay looked from her husband to her father and back again. "You gonna invite him in, Montana?" Danny asked, grabbing an arm and gently pulling her out of the way to let Bill Monroe into their apartment. "Come on in," Danny invited.

Bill followed Danny into the living room and awkwardly perched in an easy chair, Lindsay and Danny sitting across from him on the sofa. "So…" Bill said to break the awkward silence.

"So, what?" Lindsay asked icily.

Bill's eyes lost some of their brightness and his shoulders slumped when he heard the hostility in his daughter's voice. "Danny wanted me to see the baby," he explained, even though Lindsay hadn't asked.

"What if I didn't want you to see the baby?" she asked, "It's not like you've been a part of my life since Mom died, anyway."

Bill sighed. "Lindsay, will you just give me a chance?" he asked quietly.

"I've given you 16 years worth of chances," she said, tears brimming in her eyes, "and you haven't taken any of them because you're so wrapped up in Becky," she practically spat out the name of her younger sister. "It's always, Becky this and Becky that. Oh, it's Lindsay's wedding! Too bad we can't go since Becky's birthday is too close. Wouldn't want to ruin the _special_ day for Becky!" Lindsay said hysterically

A tear slid down Bill's face, but Lindsay didn't feel guilty at all. He deserved the pain. She'd had to live with the pain for sixteen years. A few tears were nothing compared to what she'd gone through.

Sophia spit her pacifier out. Bill leaned over to pick it up. "No," Lindsay warned him, "I can do it." She leaned over rather awkwardly, as she was trying not to upset the baby, and picked up Sophie's bright pink pacifier and stuck it back into the baby's mouth.

"Lindsay," Danny said quietly so that only she could hear, "I think you should give him a chance."

Lindsay glared, "And you also told Mac that I needed therapy," she said coldly, conveniently leaving out the fact that it had helped a lot.

Danny wasn't going to let that go. "It helped, though, didn't it?"

Lindsay scowled. "Yes, it did, Montana," Danny answered for her, "See, I'm right sometimes."

"Fine," she said unenthusiastically. "Whatever you want."

"Thank you," he said, standing up. "I think I'll leave you two alone," he said to the two of them. He tried to take Sophie from her.

"No, it's ok, Danny," she said.

"Lindsay," he scolded, "Give her to me."

"No," she replied stubbornly. "She's my baby."

"She's my baby, too," he reminded her. He lifted Sophia out of her arms. "Come on, Fee," he said to the baby, "Let's go get a clean diaper."

Lindsay refused to look her father in the eye. "Just say what you want to say and get out of here," she demanded.

"Lindsay…. I'm sorry." He said lamely.

"For what?" she snapped.

"For everything."

"Everything doesn't quite cover sixteen years of your father hating you."

"I never hated you, Lindsay. You're my daughter and I love you."

"You sure do have a funny way of showing it, Dad."

Bill didn't say anything.

"You know what I want to know?" Lindsay asked, her voice cracking slightly, "Why wasn't I ever good enough for you? Why'd you have to go and marry LeeAnne and have Becky and forget all about me?" a tear slid down her face.

"Lindsay, it's not like that," Bill insisted, "It's not like that at all."

"Then explain it to me, Dad, because I just don't understand."

"You – you reminded me of your mother too much. And it hurt."

Lindsay's lip trembled. "You ignored me for half of my life because my mother died? Why didn't you just kill me along with her! Then you wouldn't have had to remember us at all! You could just start your new happy little family with LeeAnne and everything would be great!"

"I know it's terrible of me, Lindsay - "

Lindsay cut him off. "It's despicable, Dad. Get out." She stood up and pointed to the doorway. "I don't want to see you near me or Danny or my child, do you hear me?"

"Lindsay," he pleaded.

She was beyond angry. Beyond giving in to begging. "OUT!" she screeched, tears streaming down her face, "I don't want to see you ever again! Go home to Montana where you belong! Go home to Becky!"

Bill laid a manila envelope on the table next to the door on the way out. "The phone number to my hotel is in there, if you change your mind." He said sadly and left.

"I won't," she said to the closed door.

Danny came out of the nursery, a now very wide-awake Sophia in his arms. "Well, that went smoothly," he said brightly.

"Just don't," she said, grabbing the manila envelope and the baby and brushing past him. "You need to leave for work," she said before closing the door to the bedroom.

Once in her bedroom Lindsay flopped onto the bed and held Sophia close as she cried. She heard Danny scurrying around outside, getting ready for work. She heard him approach the bedroom. "I love you, Montana," he said without opening the door. He waited to see if she'd respond. When she didn't, he retreated and left the apartment.

It wasn't until an hour later when she was calmer that she even opened the envelope. The first thing she pulled out was her father's business card, the name and number to a hotel scrawled on the back. Sophia had fallen back to sleep in Lindsay's arms, so she transferred the baby to her own crib before dumping the rest of the contents onto the unmade bed. Tears filled her eyes when she saw what the envelope contained. Well over a dozen pictures of Lindsay and her mother spilled all over her mattress. Pictures she hadn't seen since she was a child, some that she'd never seen before in her life. All of the pictures warmed Lindsay's heart, but there was one in particular that softened her feelings towards her father. It was a candid picture of the three of them that had been taken when Lindsay was around five. In the picture, they were playing the "One, Two, Three, Swing Game," a game Lindsay had loved as a child. She stood in-between her parents, holding out her hands on either side. They grabbed her hands, said 'one, two, thee, swing' and then would swing her into the air. Lindsay was mid air when her grandfather had taken that picture. Her parents were both looking in at her grinning like mad.

Before Lindsay could stop herself, she reached over and grabbed the phone. She dialed a number. "Daddy?" she wailed, "I'm sorry!"

* * *

The first thing that Danny heard when he entered the apartment after a long, hard shift was booming male laughter. He put his keys down on the table, very confused and called out, "Lindsay?"

His wife came scurrying to him. She threw her arms around her husband and kissed him more deeply and passionately than she had since before Sophia was born. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Not that I'm complaining, Linds, but what was that for?"

"For being the best husband ever. And just because I love you and I missed you like crazy today and because I'm sorry about this morning."

"It's ok," he said, still a little startled by her change in mood since that morning.

Lindsay grabbed his hand. "Come look!" she urged. Quietly they tip-toed into the living room where Bill sat on the couch entertaining his granddaughter.

"What sparked this change in heart?" Danny asked.

"I'll show you later," Lindsay said, grinning.

"Ok." He kissed her shortly on the lips and crossed the room. "Hey, Mr. Monroe."

"Please, call me Bill," he insisted.

"Sure thing, Bill. Mind if I steal Sophie for a minute?"

"No problem." Bill handed Sophia to her father.

"Hey, Fee," Danny greeted, kissing her on the forehead. "I missed you today, sweetheart."

Bill got up and joined his daughter in the doorway to the room, where tears misted her eyes. "I can never get over it," she said quietly.

"Get over what?"

"What a great dad he is," Lindsay told him, "If you had known him a few years ago, you'd shoot me for even mentioning his name."

Bill smiled, "Well, he's perfect for you now. He loves you and adores his baby girl. That's pretty obvious."

"She's going to have him wrapped around her finger," Lindsay joked.

"That's the way it was with you and me when you were a little girl," Bill told her.

"Really? I don't really remember."

"Oh yes, you were the biggest Daddy's Girl. I couldn't say no to you if my life depended on it."

Lindsay smiled sadly. "And then Mom died."

"And then your mom died," Bill repeated forlornly.

"Sophia's middle name is Elaine, you know." Lindsay informed her father.

"That means a lot, Lindsay,"

"I wanted Mom's memory to stay alive," Lindsay said, choosing her words very carefully. "So I named my daughter after her."

The two stood in silence for several minutes watching Danny and Sophia. "Dad," Lindsay blurted out, not able to stay silent a moment longer, "why did you marry LeeAnne?"

Bill didn't answer. "I thought I loved her," he sighed, "It turns out that I just loved the idea of her. I wanted you to have a mother, so I thought that getting married would be the best solution. By the time I realized that I didn't love her, it was too late. Becky was on the way. Becky's my daughter too, Lindsay, and I love her. I couldn't let her grow up with out a mom."

Lindsay's lip trembled. "Do you love her more than you love me?" she knew it was stupid to ask, but she just couldn't help herself?"

"No, of course not!" Bill took his daughter into his arms, "You will always be my little girl," she told her, kissing the top of her head. "Always."

**A/N Yay! Happy-ish ending. Review?**

**xoxo,**

**Lia**


	13. Duty Calls

Danny found a note on his desk early on a Monday morning. Detective Messer- 

_Watch yourself. Don't think that you're getting away with this, because your not. I'm going to get you someday, just you watch._

He sighed and filed the note away in a special folder he'd made for himself labeled "Threats." The folder was filled with notes and emails that he'd accumulated over the last few months. He and Mac were pretty sure that the sender of these notes was Clay Moreno, brother to Max Moreno, a serial killer who'd been caught and put in jail just before the threats started. Danny had been the one to catch and arrest Max, giving Clay a motive. There was no way to prove that Clay was the one making the threats, however, causing much frustration to both Danny and Mac. Lindsay didn't know anything about the notes. Mac had tried to persuade Danny to tell her, but Danny refused, arguing that she and Sophia were safer if Lindsay remained oblivious.

Danny got up and went down the hall to Mac's office. "Mac, I got another one," he informed him, waving the manila folder in the air.

Mac sighed. "Is there anything in it that can be used to prove it's Clay?" he asked, massaging his temples.

"Nah," Danny replied, "Basically the same thing. 'I'm gonna get you someday, watch yourself,' that kinda crap."

"Ok, Danny," Mac said apologetically, "I'm sorry there isn't anything else we can do."

"It's not your fault," Danny said, "And it's not like I'm actually in danger or anythin'. Clay's just tryin' ta get some revenge or somethin'."

"Tell me if you get anything else," Mac requested.

"Sure thing, Mac."

* * *

When Danny entered the apartment that night, Lindsay automatically knew something was wrong. She approached him and gave him a hug. "What's wrong?" she asked, kissing him gently on the lips.

"Oh, it's nothing, Linds. Just a long day." He tried to sound as convincing as possible.

She raised her eyebrow. "I know you better than that, Danny, and you know it. Now tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing, Montana. Don't worry about me." He replied somewhat irritably.

"Danny, I do worry about you. You've seemed really stressed recently."

"It's just the job," he insisted.

"The job never used to make you this upset."

"I'm not upset, Lindsay," he said through clenched teeth, "Just lay off, ok?"

The hurt was visible in his wife's eyes. Sophia began crying from her crib just then and Lindsay took it as a perfect moment to excuse herself. "I'd better go check on her," she said almost inaudibly and left.

Danny sighed as he flopped into his favorite armchair. He hated lying to her and keeping things from her, but he didn't want to frighten her either. It was very possible that Clay would never do anything to harm anyone, so he didn't want to alarm Lindsay if there was nothing to be scared of. Mac's voice telling him to tell her about the threats rang in his head, but he pushed it away, not wanting to think about it.

Danny and Lindsay kept their distance for the rest of the evening. They prepared and ate dinner in silence and didn't say a word to each other when getting Sophia ready for bed. They both hated it, but were equally stubborn in the fact that they didn't want to be the one to cave first.

It wasn't until they were getting ready for bed that they broke. "This is stupid," Lindsay told him.

"Yeah," Danny agreed.

"I hate fighting."

"Me too."

"Then why are we?" Lindsay asked.

"I don't know."

"Let's stop."

"Ok."

"Good." Lindsay pulled back the covers and slid into bed. Danny did the same and pulled her closer.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too." She told him.

He kissed her urgently, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush against his chest. His hands traveled her body and his tongue requested entrance into her mouth. She complied and tangled her hands in his short hair. Danny rolled over so that he was on top of her. Lindsay had relieved Danny of his shirt and was working on his tank top when his cell phone began to buzz. "Are you on call?" she asked with a pout.

"Yeah," he said ruefully, sitting up so that he was straddling her and reaching over for his phone. "Messer," he answered shortly, the annoyance evident in his voice, "Yeah, Mac, I'll be right there." He hung up. "I hafta go."

"No," she stuck out her lower lip in a way that was so irresistibly cute and sexy at the same time that the thought of not going to work flitted momentarily through Danny's mind. Instead he settled for gently nibbling on her protruding lip and kissing her one more time before getting up to redress. "Please don't go," she begged.

"Duty calls, baby, I have to." He kissed her one last time.

"I know," she sighed, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he kissed her for what was seriously the last time. "I'm gonna miss you like crazy!"

"You'll only be gone a few hours." She reasoned.

"I know. I'll still miss you."

"Just go," she ordered, "the sooner you leave the sooner you can come home and we can pick up where we left off."

Danny thought about that for about half a second and bolted out the door.

**A/N Had to add a little bit of fluff there at the end. Its what i like best! lol...and its about to get a bit angsty so** ...**be warned.**

**  
xoxo  
Lia**


	14. Yoga Breathing Part 1

Danny's cell phone rang a week later when he was trying to identify a fiber found at a crime scene. "Messer," he answered officially. He didn't recognize the Caller ID so he wanted to be on his best behavior in case it was somebody important.

"Doesn't it worry you that your wife and daughter are home alone all day long?" a hoarse male voice asked without even introducing himself.

"What? Who is this?" Danny asked, very confused. "How did you get this number?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the voice continued mysteriously. "Lindsay and little Sophia might not be as safe as you think. This is New York, Detective Messer."

"I'm aware where I live, thank you very much." Danny said crossly, a bubble of worry rising in his chest. "Who are you?" he asked again.

"Just a concerned citizen," the man said with a laugh, "They might not be safe," he repeated and the line went dead.

Danny stood there with his phone in his hand, unable to process exactly what had just gone on. _They can't be in any danger, _he told himself, _Lindsay's smart; she can take care of herself. She'd never let anything happen to Sophie. _He thought for a moment more, and then decided to call home, just in case. _Nothing's wrong, I'm just calling to say hi, _he thought urgently, trying to make himself believe what he was thinking, while really beginning to panic. He dialed his home number and waited. It rang and rang, but nobody picked up. He walked out of the lab and headed towards Mac's office, while still listening, hoping desperately that Lindsay would pick up. He finally heard her voice, and gave a sigh of relief, but his relief was short lived. It was the answering machine. _"You've reached Danny, Lindsay and Sophia Messer," _Lindsay's recorded message said, _"We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number and a short message, we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks and have a nice day!" _Danny couldn't help but smile. It was so like Lindsay to say 'have a nice day' in their answering machine recording. He approached Mac's office and was again forced to face reality.

"Mac!" he blurted out, "I got this phone call and I didn't know who it was and they said that I should feel bad about leaving Lindsay and Sophie at home and that they aren't safe and that I should check on them so I called them and Lindsay didn't answer," he said all in one breath.

"Whoa, whoa!" Mac said with a slight laugh, "Slow down Danny, I didn't catch a word of that."

Danny took a deep breath. "I got this phone call," he said, "I don't know who it was, he didn't introduce himself."

"What did he say?" Mac asked.

"He said that I should feel bad about leaving Lindsay and Sophie at home and that they might not be as safe as I think."

"And?" Mac prompted.

"And then he hung up. I think it might be Clay."

"Did you call Lindsay?"

"Yes," Danny gulped, "She didn't answer."

"Did you try her cell?"

"No." Danny tried to relax. Maybe she just stepped out of the house for a moment, or maybe she was feeding Sophia and didn't get to the phone in time. With shaking fingers he dialed Lindsay's cell phone, but it went to voice mail. He then called both his home phone and her cell phone again, growing more and more worried by the moment. "She's not answering!" he said, suddenly hysterical, "What if he did something to them? What if they're in trouble?"

"Danny, calm down. I'll send a squad car over to the apartment. I want you to go with them, and Danny stay calm. If there is something wrong," Danny's eyes grew wide, "I'm not saying there is," Mac clarified, "I'm just saying that IF something is wrong, you need to stay calm and rational."

"Ok," Danny said, trying the yoga breathing Lindsay had taught him when she went through her yoga obsession phase. Miraculously, it seemed to help a bit.

Within fifteen minutes, Danny and the uniforms pulled up to the apartment. They rushed inside and up the elevator. Danny unlocked the door and hurried inside. "Lindsay?" he called, praying that she would answer, "Lindsay are you home?" The apartment was silent. Danny rushed from room to room trying to figure out what was wrong. "The diaper bag is here," he informed the slightly confused cops, "she never leaves the house without the diaper bag!" Their stroller was broken, so it was no surprise that it was sitting in the corner of Sophia's room, but that didn't give him any comfort at all.

"Detective Messer?" one of the cops called from the kitchen. "I think you should see this?"

Danny ran to the kitchen. "What?" The cop pointed to two red splotches on the linoleum floor. It was blood.

**A/N Dun dun dunnnnn….. I love cliffhangers…when I know what's going to happen next. Lol. Don't worry, I'll update soon!**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	15. Yoga Breathing Part 2

"Mac?" Danny asked, his voice shaking slightly, "Mac there's blood on our kitchen floor. Lindsay can't have gone out. She didn't take the diaper bag. She never goes ANYWHERE without the diaper bag. It's like her life support. An' there's blood on the kitchen floor," he repeated.

"How much blood?" Mac asked.

"Just a few drops," Danny said.

"It could have just been an accident," Mac reasoned.

"Mac have you seen our apartment? Lindsay is a neat freak. There is no way that she would have bled on the floor and then not cleaned it up. An' why isn't she here? The diaper bag is here!" he knew he was repeating himself, but he didn't care.

"I'll be over in a minute," Mac said.

Danny paced nervously until Mac arrived, along with Stella.

"Danny, sit down," Mac ordered. Danny reluctantly flopped into a chair. "We are going to find them," he told him sternly.

Tears blurred Danny's vision and he swallowed a lump of emotion that was clogging his throat. "She's already been through so much," he said quietly, "She doesn't deserve this. Neither does Sophie."

"I know," Stella said soothingly, "Nobody deserves this, not you or Lindsay or Sophia. But we are going to get through this, ok?"

Danny nodded. "Isn't there anythin' that we can be doin'?"

"We'll give her description to all local police officers," Mac said. He stood up and exited the room to do so.

Stella stayed with Danny, rubbing his back and telling him that everything was going to be ok. Danny tried more yoga breathing.

Mac came back a few minutes later. "I gave them all the information I could think of. Petite, light brown hair, brown eyes, probably with a baby."

_Probably with a baby._ Danny repeated those words in his head again and again. Probably. Not definitely or surely, but probably. He'd always hated the word. Danny was a black and white guy; there was no gray, no in between. Either the suspect was guilty or he wasn't, you're sorry or you're not. The word probably seemed like a death sentence. It meant doubt and not being positive. Now positive was a word he liked. But probably? No, that just wouldn't do. Probably meant that his baby girl might be hurt or even dead. Probably meant that Sophia might not be with her mother. Probably. _Yoga breathing, _Danny thought, _Must do yoga breathing. _

"Danny?" a familiar voice broke his concentration on the yoga breathing. He looked up to see his wife standing in the open doorway, a look of confusion on her face, a grocery bag hanging off of her arm, and Sophia in a stroller next to her. "What's going on? Why are the cops here?" she took a step closer, "Are you crying?"

Danny leapt up and in two large bounds he was in front of Lindsay and pulling her into his arms. He crushed her to him and held her so tightly that she could barely breath. Danny showered kisses all over the top of her head and her forehead and then pulled back a little so that he could kiss her mouth. "Where were you?" he asked, his tone almost harsh with concern.

Lindsay held up the grocery bag. "We were out of Band-Aids," she said slowly, pulling the box out of the bag. It was open, and an empty wrapper fluttered to the ground when she extracted it. Danny could see a bandage wrapped around one finger.

"Why is there blood on the kitchen floor?" he asked, not bothering to explain what exactly what was going on.

"I dropped a glass when I was unloading the dishes," she said, giving him a funny look, "I cut my finger. I thought I had cleaned up all the blood, but I guess I missed some."

"I guess you did!" Danny exploded. "Whose stroller is that?"

"It's Missy's. You know, our next-door neighbor? I didn't feel like carrying Soph, so I asked to borrow her stroller. Danny what is going on?" Lindsay seemed a little angry, which was understandable seeing as there were strange men in her house and her husband was interrogating her.

Danny glanced at Mac before telling her, "I think we should sit down."

"No, I'm fine," she said stubbornly. "Tell me what's going on."

"I'm not telling you until you sit down," he shot back.

"Ok, fine." Lindsay plucked a very well behaved Sophia out of the stroller, crossed the room and plunked down in Danny's favorite armchair. "I'm sitting."

Danny sat down across from her in the sofa, and waited for Mac and Stella to evacuate the room, taking Sophia along with them, so that he and Lindsay could talk in private. "Do ya remember a couple months ago when I worked on the Max Moreno case?"

"Yes." Lindsay said shortly, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'll explain, if you'll give me a chance," Danny said.

"Sorry."

"Ok, so after I convicted and arrested Max, I started getting all these notes and emails," he paused, "They were sorta like threats."

"'Sorta like threats?' Where they threats or not?"

"Yeah, they were threats. Mac an' I are pretty sure it's Clay Moreno, Max's brother. Anyway, we didn't think much of 'em, 'cause nothing ever happened. He had some plain-clothes cops watchin' us every now an' then in case anythin' fishy was goin' or somethin'. This morning I got a phone call from a guy who wouldn't tell me his name. He basically just said that you an' Fee weren't as safe as I thought you were an' hung up. So I called home to make sure you were ok, but you didn't answer. Then I called yer cell, but you didn't answer. An' then I called both again an' started to panic so Mac sent me over with some uniforms. We saw the blood on the floor and that Fee's diaper bag was still here and I freaked out an' called Mac. He came over with Stella an' gave yer description to the police. I'm pretty sure he's recantin' that right about now." His babbling came to and end and he looked up nervously at his wife.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Is that it?!" he repeated in shock, "I'm pretty sure that's a lot! I mean, I already almost lost you once! I think that the idea that you could be hurt or in trouble is a lot for a guy to think about! An' to think that my baby girl might be hurt, too, well that's just a lot to process!"

"Danny," Lindsay said with a slight laugh, "I meant, 'Are you finished?'"

"Oh," he reddened slightly, "Yes, I'm finished."

"I'm really sorry," she said.

"It's not yer fault," he told her, "Just bad timin' I guess. I mean you left the house right after I got a phone call threatening yer life? Kinda a freaky coincidence, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Lindsay agreed. "And on top of that, I had my phone turned off and forgot the diaper bag."

Danny smiled. "Come here," Lindsay came over to him and sat on his lap. "I love you so much," he whispered fiercely, "You and Fee are my whole world"

"I think you told me that once before," Lindsay smiled. "Except minus the Sophie part. We didn't even know about her then."

"I remember that," Danny said placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose.

"I love you more than anything," Lindsay said, snuggling closer, "Well Sophia's right up there with you, but you know what I mean."

Danny chuckled, "I know what you mean."

Lindsay closed her eyes and leaned her head against Danny's shoulder.

"Lindsay?" Danny said several minutes later.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for teaching me your yoga breathing."

**A/N The end? I can make more if you want, but I thought that would be a good place to end….tell me what you think.**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	16. Nothing Else Matters

If Lindsay thought that Danny had become overprotective after the whole Trent Sloane incident, she was wrong. His protectiveness was nowhere near as extreme as it had become after the Clay Moreno scare. It was unheard of for Lindsay and Sophia to go anywhere unaccompanied and Danny nearly had a heart attack when Lindsay announced that she wanted to leave Sophia with a babysitter who wasn't a cop.

"That's just not possible, Linds," Danny told her, "I don't feel comfortable with it."

"Just because Missy isn't a cop, it doesn't mean that she can't protect out child!" Lindsay protested.

"She's a woman!" Danny said without thinking.

Lindsay raised her eyebrows. She had her 'I Cannot Believe You Just Said That' look on her face – the one that scared Danny more that a gun in his face did. "Oh, so is that the problem?" She asked coolly.

"That's not what I meant!" Danny said, trying to right his wrong.

"Are you implying that since I'm a woman I'm unfit to care for our child?"

"No! Lindsay…." He pleaded, "Just listen!"

"Stella's a woman," Lindsay continued, ignoring him completely, "We've left Sophie with her before."

"She's Fee's godmother for cryin' out loud!"

"Does that give her super powers or something? If Missy were Sophia's godmother, would you let her watch the baby?"

Danny sighed. "This is getting nowhere, Linds."

"And whose fault is that?" Lindsay asked giving him the evil eye.

"Mine," Danny said sheepishly.

"And why is it your fault?"

"'Cause I said somethin' stupid without thinkin'."

"And what exactly was it that you implied?"

"That men are stronger and more capable than women," Danny said though gritted teeth.

"Is that a correct statement, Messer?" Lindsay challenged.

Danny cringed at the use of his surname, but answered anyway. "No, Montana, it isn't."

"There," Lindsay smiled in an irritatingly sweet way, "that's better."

"Why do I let you do that to me?" Danny asked, raking a hand through his hair, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"Because you love me!" Lindsay said in a singsong voice.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Think that if you want," he teased.

Lindsay narrowed her eyes at him in a mock angry way.

"Relax, Linds, I'm kidding," Danny placed a kiss on her nose.

Lindsay brightened immediately. "I know. I just wanted a kiss."

"You call that a kiss? You deserve a real kiss, my dear." Danny pulled her close and gave her what he considered a _real _kiss. A _real _kiss involved racing pulses and shortness of breath. "I love you." Danny said. He hated to break such a wonderful kiss, but needed to tell his wife how he felt about her.

"I love you, too." Lindsay rested her head on his chest and squeezed him a bit tighter.

"I'm afraid of you and Fee getting hurt, Montana. That's why I freaked out earlier."

"I know."

Danny placed another soft kiss to his wife's lips. She melted into his embrace, laying her head on his chest when he was finished showering kisses all over her face. "I could stay like this forever," Danny whispered against her hair. "As long as you're in my arms, nothing else matters."

**A/N I'm sorry that I'm so lame….I haven't updated in forever and when I do it's a short, slightly lame/corny/cliché/overly fluffy chapter. Gah! Muse, where have you gone? If anybody has any ideas, I'm open to anything!**

**xoxo,**

**Lia**


	17. Training

Lindsay nearly gasped audibly as she entered her first crime scene since being off of maternity leave. She was used to gruesome sights because of her job, but this was almost too much for her. Blood was literally everywhere. The carpet was soaked red, as was the couch and love seat, blood dripped from the lamps and ceiling fan (how the blood got up there she had no idea) and from the television. Worst of all, two decapitated bodies lay on the floor next to each other. Their heads were nowhere to be seen.

Lindsay felt her stomach rolling and had the sudden urge to throw up. Her face turned pale and she wobbled a little when she tried to take a step. Danny reached out and steadied her, a look of concern on his face. "Are you ok?" he whispered gently, "This is kinda a bad scene to start with."

Lindsay bit her lip uncertainly. She didn't want to flake out, but she really didn't want to process this scene either. "Um…" she said, stalling for time.

"Why don't you go and talk to the daughter?" Danny suggested. "A uniform is out with her, but I think she might be more responsive to a woman."

Lindsay smiled out of relief and gratitude. Danny knew exactly how she felt and had remedied the situation perfectly. "Thanks," she murmured, giving him a discreet peck on the cheek.

Lindsay headed out of the expensive penthouse and downstairs to the lobby of the apartment building that probably cost more to furnish than it did to furnish, paint and redecorate her entire apartment. A grandfatherly police officer sat on a plush couch trying his best to comfort a hysterical teenage girl. He was relieved when he saw Lindsay come sit down next to the girl and excused him. 'Thank you,' he mouthed.

The girl, who Lindsay estimated to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, was clad in designer jeans and a pink cashmere sweater. She sniffed a few more times, and wiped the tears away from her pretty face with the back of a perfectly manicured hand. Her make up had run, and her face was red and puffy when she raised it to meet Lindsay's eyes. "Who are you?" she asked in a small voice. She wasn't rude about it, just curious.

"I'm Detective Lindsay Messer," she replied, "what's your name?"

"Corrine." The girl answered tearfully, "Corrine Davenport. Most people call me Cori, though."

"Is it alright if I call you Cori as well?" Lindsay asked gently.

Cori nodded mutely.

"Do you feel up to answering any questions?" Lindsay asked hesitantly. The girl was obviously a basket case and she wasn't sure how much Cori could handle at this point.

"I guess," Cori said, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"Were you the one who found your parents?" Lindsay asked her.

"Yeah," Cori said, "I spent the night at a friend's house last night. They dropped me off this morning and when I came home I found them like….like that." She couldn't bring herself to go into any more detail about her parent's condition. "I screamed and called the police."

"Was there anybody else in the house?"

Cori shook her head. "It's the cook's day off and the cleaning lady doesn't come in until the afternoon."

"Do you know what your parents did last night while you were gone?"

"I think they went out to dinner," Cori said, the tears starting to flow again, "but I'm not sure." Her lip trembled and her voice shook.

"You don't have to say anything else if you don't want to, Cori. We can stop it you'd like."

Cori nodded. "I don't know where I'm going to go!" she said suddenly. "Neither of my parents had any brothers or sisters. My mom's parents died a long time ago, and my dad's parents won't have anything to do with me."

Lindsay impulsively pulled the girl into her arms. "It's going to be ok, Cori, I promise." She knew that she shouldn't be promising any such thing, seeing as her parents were dead and headless and the girl had to other family to take her in, but Cori's sobs broke her heart. She had to try and reassure the teen.

Lindsay stayed with Cori until the rest of the team finished processing the scene. Despite the amount of blood and severity of the murder, there wasn't much to process. Whoever had killed Mr. And Mrs. Davenport had been very meticulous and careful which was surprising since he had decapitated them both. You would think that somebody who chops heads off would be rash and wouldn't be able to cover his tracks well.

Danny and Mac walked over to where Lindsay and Cori sat, Lindsay's arms still around the teenaged girl. Cori pulled away when she heard the footsteps draw nearer and stop in front of her.

"You two go home," Mac ordered Danny and Lindsay. "There isn't much that we can do at this point. We only have a few hairs and fibers to test and hope we get a hit on the partial that we got off of the lamp."

Danny and Lindsay nodded. "Can Cori come home with us?" Lindsay asked suddenly. "At least until we figure something out?"

Mac nodded slightly uncertainly. "I guess. I'll try to get a hold of the Davenport's lawyer tonight to see their will."

"Are you ok with that, Cori?" Lindsay asked the girl.

Cori nodded. She supposed that she didn't have much of a choice. Besides, she liked the young detective who had talked her through this.

Lindsay and Cori got up and began to follow Danny to their SUV. "Cori, this is my husband, Danny," Lindsay said, forgetting that neither Cori, nor Danny had a clue who the other was. "Danny, this is Cori."

"Nice ta meet ya," Danny said, a friendly smile on his face.

Cori just nodded at him.

They all climbed into the car and Danny drove away in silence. Nobody spoke during the short ride from Cori's penthouse to Danny and Lindsay's apartment. When they arrived, Danny parked and they all headed upstairs.

"Danny, could you get Sophie from Missy's?" Lindsay asked, figuring that it would be awkward for Cori and Danny to be left alone together, even if it were only for a couple of minutes.

"Sure. I'll be there in a sec."

Lindsay and Cori entered the Messer's apartment. Cori looked around, taking in the baby toys strewn across the living room floor, the dishes piled up in the kitchen sink and Danny's impressive DVD collection on the wall next to the big screen TV that Danny had insisted on keeping after they had gotten married. "So you have a baby?" Cori said slowly, trying to break the awkward silence.

Lindsay smiled. "Yeah. We have a little girl named Sophia."

Just then Danny entered the apartment, the baby in one arm, her diaper bag dangling off of the other. Lindsay hurried over to him to relieve him of Sophie. She pulled the baby into her arms and held her tightly. "I missed you, sweetie," she whispered into the infant's ear. She hogged her child for a while and wouldn't let anybody else hold her for at least twenty minutes. It had been the first time that she had been away from her baby for so long. Danny and Cori made awkward conversation while Lindsay reacquainted herself with Sophia.

Finally Lindsay went to join Danny and Cori. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked Cori.

Cori nodded and took the sweet child into her arms. She instantly fell in love with the baby and kept her company while Danny and Lindsay prepared dinner.

"Lindsay, what are we going to do with a teenager?" Danny asked his wife once they were alone.

"Come on, Danny, it's just temporary. She had nowhere else to go!"

Danny sighed dramatically. "Fine, but you owe me."

"Think of it as training," she told him with a smirk. "Sophia's going to be a teenager someday too." She laughed at the look of horror that crossed her husband's face.

**A/N Yes, weird ending. Weird chapter. Weird everything. Sorry about the delay. Review?**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	18. Nothing Without You

Danny and Lindsay were both awoken suddenly that night by a loud crashing sound in the living room. They both jolted upright, startled by the noise. "What was that?" Lindsay asked sleepily.

"I don't know," Danny said, the worry slightly evident in his voice.

They heard approaching footsteps. "Do you think it's Cori?" Lindsay asked.

"The footsteps sound too heavy to belong to her," Danny said, a warning bell of panic going off in his brain. "Stay here, I'm going to go check it out." Danny grabbed his glasses off of the bedside table and his gun from the top shelf of his bookshelf and crept out the door.

Lindsay heard the floor creak slightly as Danny walked down the hallway. She had seen her husband turn to go towards the kitchen and living room, and became petrified when she heard another set of footsteps tip toeing towards Sophia's bedroom and the guest room where Cori slept. Not even realizing the danger of her actions, she leapt out of bed and down the hallway to the baby's room. The intruder saw her streak across the hall and shot wildly, missing her by mere inches and waking up the rest of the household. Danny came thundering down the hall, gun drawn, but it was too late, for the man had slid out the window and down the fire escape.

"What were you thinkin'?" he practically yelled at his wife, who had snatched her baby girl out of her crib and was tenderly cradling her against her chest. "He coulda killed you!"

"He could have killed our baby," Lindsay reasoned, tears shining in her eyes. Danny very rarely raised his voice and it terrified her when he did. "I had to protect her and Cori."

"A lot of good you'd have done if you were dead!" Danny said, unable to calm down.

Lindsay brushed past him; Sophia snuggled safely in her arms. The cries of the child had quieted to soft whimpers and in moments she would fall back to sleep. "What are you doin'?" Danny asked, his tone harsh and unforgiving.

"I'm going to check on Cori," Lindsay said as calmly as she could. She didn't turn back to face him as she spoke, not wanting him to see the tears tracking down her cheeks.

Lindsay knocked on the door to the guest room and pushed the door open when there was no answer. She saw Cori curled into a tight ball on the bed, the covers pulled over her head. She could hear the sobs of the teen from the doorway. "Are you alright?" she asked, sitting hesitantly on the edge of the bed. She heard Danny talking to Mac on his cell phone outside the door.

Cori sniffled and adjusted the covers so that her face was peeking out. "This is my fault isn't it?" she whispered, "That man was here looking for me."

Lindsay felt her heart shatter at the guilt she detected in the girl's voice. "We don't know that," she assured her, "It could have been a coincidence." There was a great possibility that Cori was right, but she didn't want to tell her that. She'd already gone through enough.

"Could I be alone for a while?" Cori asked quietly.

"Of course," Lindsay said getting up and walking to the door. "The police will probably be here in a few minutes and they might want to ask you a few questions."

"More?" Cori asked, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

"I'm sorry," Lindsay said simply, and left.

Sophia had fallen back to sleep while Lindsay talked to Cori. A part of Lindsay wanted to hold the child in her arms when she had to face her husband, as a barrier of some sorts, but she decided to think of Sophie's comfort first instead of her own selfishness. She planted a kiss in her soft, wispy hair and laid her gently into her crib.

She headed into the kitchen. Danny sat at the table, head in hands, and a cup of coffee sitting next to him. Lindsay sat down across from him without saying a word. He looked up and saw the tracks the tears had made on her face and immediately felt immensely guilty. "I'm sorry," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

"You'd think the thought of me dying would upset you, not cause you to yell at me." Lindsay said shortly, ignoring his apology completely.

"I was upset! That's why I yelled!"

"Most people cry when they're upset, Danny, or at least get very sad, not angry." her voice trembled, much to her annoyance and she swallowed several times in order to regain control. "I know that I'd cry a lot if you were to die, or get hurt."

Danny sighed. "Lindsay, honey, you are totally overreactin'!"

Lindsay narrowed her eyes – a tell tale sign that she was about to erupt. "Overreacting? Danny, a guy tried to shoot me! And instead of rushing over to see if I was alright, you screamed about how stupid I was!"

"It _was_ stupid!" Danny protested.

"So? If it had been you, I would have at least made sure that you were ok before I started going on and on about how stupid you were being!" Lindsay had stood up and was pacing. It was physically impossible for her to sit still when she was this angry. "Maybe you don't love me enough! Maybe you wanted me to be shot!" She threw out those last two declarations for the sole purpose of seeing how her husband reacted.

"Lindsay, now is not the time for you to doubt my love for you!"

Lindsay stopped dead in her tracks. Danny realized that he had just said possibly the worst thing he could have. "And when would that time be, Daniel?" she hissed. "When everything is all peachy and nobody is trying to harm my family? When we're processing a crime scene? On Sophie's first day of kindergarten?" Her voice had become thick with tears. "When?"

Danny leapt up and crushed Lindsay to his chest. "Never," he whispered, and then kissed her with all the fiery passion he could muster. Lindsay resisted for quite some time, her mindset being that her husband thought he could fix anything by kissing her, but then she realized that he could. She couldn't help it, but she was extremely vulnerable to his kisses. His lips left hers and roamed her face, kissing away all the stray tears that glistened on her ivory skin. He planted a final kiss on the sensitive spot just below her ear and held her close. She buried her face in the nape of his neck and took deep, even breaths in order to calm herself down. "Losing you terrifies me, Montana," Danny finally whispered. "That's why I get so mad whenever you are in danger. I can't stand the thought of you leavin' me here all alone. I'm nothin' without you."

His admission startled Lindsay slightly. He'd told her on several occasions that he was afraid of losing her, and that she and Sophie were his whole life, but to say that he was nothing without her was more than she had expected. "I love you, Danny," she said simply. She didn't need any other words.

"I love you, my Montana." he whispered back.

They were broken apart a minute later by a knock on the door. Lindsay was afraid to answer it. She knew it was stupid and that it was most likely just Mac, but it still scared her. "Danny? Lindsay? Are you ok?" Mac called through the door, relieving them both of all worrying. Danny rushed over to the door to let their boss in. Several uniformed cops stood with him, and they spied a few more down the hall, speaking to their frightened neighbors. "Is everybody alright?" Mac asked again.

"Yes, we're all fine," Danny said. "Sophie was scared by the gunshot, but she fell back ta sleep a while ago. Cori's still in her room, I guess," he looked over at his wife who nodded in confirmation.

"Do you have any clue who it is, Mac?" Lindsay asked, very worried.

"I don't know," Mac began, "but I have a terrible feeling that it was the same person who killed Cori's parents."

"I knew it," a small voice said from behind them. They all whirled around and saw Cori standing there, a horrified expression on her face. "This _is_ my fault!" Tears began to stream down her face once more.

Lindsay rushed over to her and pulled her into her arms. "Shh…. it's not your fault, Cori. You did nothing wrong. Besides, we don't even know for sure if it's the same man." She was careful not to say 'the man who killed your parents.' At this point she was afraid that if she upset Cori any more the child would die of guilt, remorse and sadness.

"You'll have to leave the apartment, I'm afraid," Mac said. "We need to process it. Did any of you get a clear picture of the guy's face?"

They all shook their heads. "I only saw a glimpse," Lindsay said. "It was dark, but I'm pretty sure he was over six feet tall. He had dark hair. That's all I saw. I'm sorry, Mac."

"It's not your fault." he assured her. "Why don't you go and gather up whatever you need. You can sleep at a hotel tonight. We'll station two uniforms out side your door and have others patrolling the premises." He turned to the four officers behind him. "Barkley, Mulligan, you two escort the Messers and Miss Davenport to the closest Hilton. Stay outside their door until the backup gets there. Carson and Davis, you stay here with me." The officers nodded solemnly.

"Cori, why don't you go grab your bag," Lindsay suggested, "and then could you help me get some of Sophie's things?" Cori agreed and scurried off to her room. "It'll just be a moment," Lindsay said, trying her best to hide the shakiness in her voice.

She and Danny retreated to their bedroom and packed what they would need for the morning. Lindsay brushed away a tear as discreetly as she could, but Danny saw it. "Hey," he gently turned her around and pulled her into his arms. "It's gonna be ok," he promised, kissing her lightly on the lips. "We're gonna be ok."

Lindsay nodded and squeezed him one more time before heading to Sophia's room. She grabbed everything that she thought Sophie would possibly need. Naturally, she ended up with enough supplies to sustain the baby's life and happiness for at least two weeks. Danny and Cori both laughed when they say Sophia's bulging diaper bag in contrast to the small backpack Lindsay had her own things in. "Dan, will you grab Sophie?" she asked. She and Cori stopped in the kitchen to grab one of Sophia's bottles and some formula before following the police officers to the squad car, Danny right on their heels.

The ride to the hotel flew by and in no time they had secured a room, a suite for that matter, and were getting all settled in. Lindsay set up the collapsible crib and Danny laid Sophia gently in it. "Sweet dreams, Fee," he whispered.

They checked in on Cori, and once they were satisfied that she was all right, they fell into an exhausted sleep.

**A/N Wow. I just realized that the actual break in was probably no more than 100 words (ok, 228, if you start at the very beginning until the guy goes down the fire escape) Kinda funny, if you ask me. Most of the chapter is arguing. Anyway, review!**

**xoxo,**

**Lia**


	19. What a Family Feels Like

Lindsay paced back and forth in frustration. This apartment was far too small for the four of them. It was a reasonably sized apartment, but seeing as nobody had been aloud to leave it for three weeks, it seemed much smaller than it really was. The break-in at the Messer's apartment, it seemed, had just been the beginning of their worries. Either somebody really wanted Cori dead, or they wanted Danny and Lindsay dead. Or all three. Death threats had followed the break-in; these ones were much more severe and had more weight to them than the ones Danny had received following the Max Moreno case. After that had come the shady looking men lurking around the crime scenes Danny and Lindsay worked, the station and their apartment building. When Lindsay had received a razor blade in the mail and sliced her hand open, Mac finally insisted that they all go to a safe house.

So there they were. Lindsay, Danny, Cori and Sophia all crammed into one apartment indefinitely. It hadn't been too bad at first. In fact, the first few days had been rather fun. Lindsay and Danny had gotten to know Cori better, and the couple enjoyed all the time they had together and with Sophia. Cori had grown rather attached to the youngest Messer in hiding and Sophie seemed to take quite the shine to Cori as well. They watched movies and challenged each other on the Game Cube and had picnics on the living room floor. The fun lasted about five days. Once the novelty wore off, they all became intensely bored. And, with little to no contact with the outside world, they were growing very tired of each other.

"You ok?" Danny entered the bedroom that he and Lindsay had been sharing and saw the frustration etched on her face.

"I feel claustrophobic," Lindsay said flatly. "I need to get out of this apartment."

"It's for your own safety." Danny reminded her, putting his arms around her from behind and resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I know," Lindsay stared longingly out of the tinted window. "I'm just going stir crazy in here. And I miss the outside world."

Danny led her to the bed and sat down next to her. "What do you miss?" he asked, absent-mindedly stroking the raised scar that stretched across her palm.

Lindsay thought about it for a moment. "I miss Chinese take out and walks in the part and talking to Stella. I miss feeling the wind in my face and the warmth from the sunshine and going to the movies." She stopped. This was depressing her.

Danny put an arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "We'll be out of here soon enough." he said that to make both of them feel better. In truth, he had no earthly idea when he was going to get out of the safe house.

Lindsay sighed and glanced at the clock. "Well, I supposed I should stop feeling sorry for myself and start getting dinner started."

"Why don't you go play with Cori and Fee. I'll make dinner." Danny volunteered.

Lindsay smiled. "This is why I love you." She rewarded him with a gentle kiss.

"I know," Danny smirked mischievously, leaning in for another kiss.

"There are children in the house," Lindsay said breathlessly after pulling away when the kissing got a little too steamy.

Danny scoffed. "When aren't there children in the house?" he teased.

"If we keep this up, there will be more children in the house," she said in a challenging voice.

Danny pretended to think about it. "I think I'll risk it."

Lindsay groaned good naturedly, but allowed him one more kiss. "Ok," she said as he nibbled on her lip, "Enough." Danny didn't listen. "Danny, I'm serious. We have got to stop this right now."

"I don't wanna."

"Stop whining. We have to stop."

"Don't you want more kids?" Danny asked, halfway serious.

Lindsay paused, taken aback by his question. "Yes, Danny, I want more kids, but now is not the time."

"How many more?"

"Are we seriously having this conversation _now_?"

"Yes, Montana, we are. How many kids do you want?"

"I don't know. Four, maybe?"

"You sure you want four little Montanas runnin' around the house?"

"I know I wouldn't mind four little Danny's running around." she laughed. "How many do you want?"

"However many you plan on givin' birth to. I think it should be your decision, mostly. I have the easy part." he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Daniel Messer!" she pretended to be shocked and offended. She shoved him off the bed. "Go start dinner!"

"Yes, ma'am." he saluted and sauntered out the door.

While Danny cooked up trouble in the kitchen, Lindsay settled on the floor of the living room where Cori was playing with Sophia. "She adores you, you know," Lindsay told Cori.

Cori blushed. "She's a cutie herself. I always wanted a kid brother or sister, but my mom and dad didn't want anymore kids after me." In the weeks they'd been together, Cori had opened up and even mentioned her parents occasionally without breaking down into tears. She shrugged like it was no big deal.

"I have a younger half- sister," Lindsay said, a bit forlornly. "She's not much older than you, actually. Seventeen. We never did get along well."

"Half-sister?" Cori questioned. She wasn't prying or being nosy, she was simply curious.

"My mom died when I was about your age. My dad married this woman, LeeAnne literally weeks after my mom's funeral. LeeAnne had my younger sister Becky not too long after."

"Oh. That's terrible." Cori blurted out. "I'm sorry!" she apologized immediately, her facial expression stricken.

"No, it's ok," Lindsay laughed slightly. "I thought, and still think, the same thing. My dad and I were really close until Becky came along. Then he ditched me for a newer model, I guess. We fought my entire teenage years, and then I got out of the house the second I graduated. We started getting along better after that. I have no clue why. But then LeeAnn and Becky ruined everything by refusing to come to my wedding…." she trailed off. "You probably don't care about this."

"No, I like hearing about it. My life is so boring."

"And mine's not?"

"No, it's not. You have a husband and a baby and you're a CSI!"

"None of that is too glamorous." Lindsay pointed out.

"Glamour isn't all that great," Cori admitted. "Being rich kind of sucks, actually. Everybody thinks you're a snob and your parents get all caught up in social status and forget your exist sometimes. You're reduced to nothing more than a name brand clothing wearing, top notch private school attending spoiled brat. Seriously, I think that our housekeeper, Loretta, knew more about me than my mother and father did."

Lindsay felt a pang of pity for the girl wash over her. "I'm sorry." she said, unsure of what else she could say.

"The truth is, I'm almost happier here than I have ever been anywhere else."

"Wow. That's…" Lindsay searched for the right word. "…interesting?" It came out as a question, not a statement. "Don't you miss your friends, though?"

"I don't really have too many friends. I mean, there were girls I hung out with at school and stuff, but we were never really friends. We just hung out because we were the same – rich girls who got basically whatever they wanted. We had money in common, but that's about it."

"So I assume there's no boyfriend in the picture?"

Cori sighed. "No boyfriend."

"Don't worry. You're pretty and sweet and smart and funny. Some guy is bound to fall head over heels in love with you any day now. I had basically given up hope myself until I met Danny."

"You ladies talkin' about me?" Danny yelled from the kitchen upon hearing his name.

"No!" they answered in unison.

"Like I believe you!" he shouted back.

The girls giggled. "Anyway…" Lindsay said, not liking the lull in conversation after Danny interrupted.

"When I get married, I want to have a relationship like you and Danny have," Cori confessed. "You guys seem so happy. I mean, I guess my parents loved each other, but they didn't act like you guys do. It was almost like being married was a routine, or a hassle or something. Like they were tired of each other."

Lindsay hoped that would never happen to her and Danny. Although, come to think of it, she found the idea of ever getting tired of Danny absurd, impossible. She doubted it would happen. "Just remember that you aren't necessarily going to be just like your parents." Lindsay said, trying to choose the right words so that she didn't sound like she was bashing Cori's mom and dad. "I mean, look at me and LeeAnne. True, she's technically not my mother, but she did help raise me, and she has been in my life for over half of my lifetime. LeeAnne is controlling and manipulative and I'm just not like that. And then my dad is a complete pushover and can barely make a decision for himself. I like to think that I'm somewhere in-between the two, personally."

"I just want to be happy," Cori said, tears brimming in her eyes unexpectedly.

"And I'm sure you will be," Lindsay smiled. She was beginning to love Cori like her own. She felt a connection with the girl that she couldn't quite explain, yet, oddly enough, she didn't really try to figure it out. She truly regretted the day when Cori would have to have other living arrangements that did not include the Messers. She sighed. There wasn't any use worrying about it at this point.

"Dinner's ready!" Danny called from the kitchen, "Come get it while it's hot!"

Lindsay and Cori smiled at each other before scooping up Sophia and heading towards the kitchen. They all settled down at the table and gazed at the Italian feast that Danny had prepared for them.

Cori smiled to herself. _So this is what a family feels like._

**A/N So…what are your thoughts? I have no clever little comment to make today…. I'm leaving them all up to you!**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	20. Good News

"We got him," Mac told Cori, Danny and Lindsay as he sat on the couch in the living room of the safe house. "The man who killed the Davenports," he clarified. "His name is Robert Stephens and he's…" Mac racked his mind for the right words to use, "well, in lack of a better word, he's basically a raving lunatic. Seems he had something against the rich living in New York City. He confessed immediately when we got him into custody and he seemed proud of what he's done. He expected praise for his work," Mac paused, "But then again he is basically insane."

"So that's it?" Danny asked, "We can go back to our normal lives?"

"Not quite yet," Mac said, "We still don't know for sure if it was Stephens who was threatening you. Now that I've met the man who killed Cori's parents, I somehow doubt it was him. He was going on and on about equality and justice for the lower class of New Yorkers. I think it might be Clay Moreno harassing you." Mac added quietly.

Lindsay paled slightly, and Danny told a hold of her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Although she hadn't even worked on the Max Moreno case, and had never even met Clay, the very mention of his name brought shivers to her body. It caused her to remember that day when Danny got the call about her and Sophia and Danny had been practically out of his mind with worry. She hated seeing Danny like that. "What about Cori?" Lindsay asked softly, "She's not in any danger anymore, is she?"

"I don't think so, but I think that for her own safety, we should keep her here for at least another couple of days. Just as a precaution." Mac added.

Cori shrugged. "I've been here nearly a month…. what's another week going to hurt? It's not like I have a life to get back to anyway," she said forlornly.

"That's the spirit," Mac said, a slight smile on his face. He stood to leave. "I should be going. Hopefully next time I see you I'll have more good news."

Danny saw Mac to the door, but Lindsay stayed in the living room with a very somber Cori. "You ok?" she asked, not sure how Cori was processing the news.

"I think so," Cori said, "It's just a weird feeling. I mean, I know that they're dead and that they're not coming back, but knowing that the killer is behind bars gives me a feeling of…" she trailed off, not knowing what word to use.

"Closure?" Lindsay suggested.

"Yeah," Cori said, smiling a little "Closure. Like maybe I can get back to a normal life now. I do feel a little guilty though. "

"And why is that?"

"I guess it's because I feel so happy so soon after their death. I feel like I should still be in mourning and crying and stuff all the time."

"Everybody grieves differently, Cori. It took me years to get over my mother's death, but my dad was remarried within a month. There's nothing wrong with how long it takes you to mourn."

"Thanks, Lindsay," Cori said, giving her a hug, "You guys have really helped me get through this."

Lindsay smiled and hugged her back. "Group hug!" Danny cried in his normal spontaneous manner upon entering the room. He came over and wrapped his muscular arms around the two girls, causing them to giggle. "You know what I think?" Danny asked, when they finally pulled away. "I think that we need to celebrate."

"How are we supposed to celebrate when we're stuck here?" Lindsay asked.

"Lindsay, my dear, it hurts that you doubt me," he said in a mock sad tone. He kissed her on the cheek and bid them to follow him to the kitchen. He opened the well stocked freezer and starting going through the contents. "Well," he said, pulling out a few cartons and placing them on the counter, "We have Triple Chocolate Chunk ice cream, Peanut Butter Blast and a carton of my dear wife's favorite, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. In addition to a tub of raw cookie dough that I have no intention of bakin'," Danny said, pulling one more carton out of the refrigerator.

"You're point being…." Lindsay teased.

"My point is, that we should eat it all, plus anythin' else we can find that's high in fat and is terribly bad for you while havin' a movie marathon," he paused, "I'll even let you girls pick out some sappy chick flicks if you want."

"Oh, how generous," Lindsay said, rolling her eyes.

"Watch it, Montana," he said teasingly, "you may never get this offer ever again."

Lindsay pretended to think about it. "What do you think, Cori?"

"I say we go for it," the teen responded, "He's right. We may never have this opportunity again."

"Ok, then, that's settled." Lindsay said, unable to stop smiling.

"Alright. How about you girls go get the DVD player fired up, I'll grab some spoons and raid the pantry and meet you in there."

"Cori, why don't you go pick the first movie?" Lindsay asked, "I'll be there in a sec."

Cori left and Lindsay turned to her husband. "Thank you," she kissed him tenderly and then turned and followed Cori to the living room.

So that's how Danny Messer ended up sitting on the living room floor of a safe house, his wife next to him and Cori on the other side of her, watching Sweet Home Alabama while surrounded by dripping ice cream cartons, half a tub of cookie dough, a yet to be opened bag of potato chips and an entire package of Oreos that had barely made it past the first ten minutes. "Who would you choose?" Cori asked in the middle. They had all seen the movie before, so it wasn't spoiling the ending. "Andrew the rich city boy or Jake the country boy?"

Lindsay thought about it. "I don't know. From my experience, country boys seem to be better looking," she said, laughing as Danny protested.

"Watch your mouth, Montana," he said, poking her in the side.

"Ah, I'm just kidding. I'd go for the city boy, I suppose." She glanced at Danny. "Happy now?"

He nodded. "Very. I, for one, would choose a country girl over a city girl any day."

"Then I've trained you well," Lindsay teased.

Cori rolled her eyes.

"What about you, Cori?"

"I don't know…. I've never really met a full-blown country boy. I've lived in New York my entire life, so all I know are city boys."

"Take my advice, Cori," Lindsay said, "Go for the city boy."

They watched the rest of the movie in silence, save it be for a few sarcastic comments here and there, most of which came from Danny. He had an especially fun time making fun of the girls when they both teared up a little bit at the end. "C'mon…. it's not even sad!" he said with a roll of his cobalt eyes.

"I know!" Lindsay protested, "It's just such a cute ending."

"Women," Danny muttered under his breath.

"Watch it, buddy," Lindsay warned, "may I remind you that the women outnumber you three to one is this lovely little apartment?"

"Three to one? Please…." Danny rolled his eyes yet again, "Fee isn't even one yet She hardly counts."

At that moment, Sophia woke up from her nap, crying loudly. All three of them burst out laughing. "I think she heard you," Cori joked.

Lindsay hopped up and went to go get Sophia out of her crib.

"Thank you, Danny," Cori said softly, shyly, when Lindsay left the room.

"What for?" Danny asked.

"Everything. You both have been so kind to me… I know it has to be hard to go straight from caring for a one year old to having a teenager around the house."

"I hafta admit, I was a lil' bit nervous at first," Danny said sheepishly, "But I like havin' you around."

"Thanks," Cori's smile lit up her face and made her even more beautiful, if that was possible.

Lindsay watched the two from the doorway, a fluttering of happiness erupting in her heart when she saw how well they were getting along.

**A/N AHH! So sorry. I thought I had already posted this chapter! Anyway… lamest ending I've ever had, but whatever. Just review. Please. **

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	21. More Good News

"Lindsay, baby, wake up," Danny gently prodded his peacefully sleeping wife. He hated to wake her – she looked so serene and beautiful – but this was important.

Lindsay rolled over. "What time is it?" she grumbled.

"Five-thirty," Danny admitted.

"This had better be good," Lindsay complained, blinking blearily. She had been up half of the night trying to coax a fussy Sophia back to sleep.

"Clay Moreno is even more of an idiot than we thought," he said, unable to repress the grin that spread across his features.

"How so?" Lindsay had become instantly alert when she heard Clay's name.

"He tried to break into our apartment again. Mac's had surveillance on the apartment 24/7 since the last break in and they caught him."

Lindsay's face broke out into a grin. "Really?"

"Really."

"So it's all over?" Lindsay asked.

"It's all over." Danny confirmed.

Lindsay suddenly launched herself at her husband. She attacked his lips with her own – not that he was complaining or anything. He felt her smile against his lips, and he brought her even closer. Lindsay draped a leg over his own two legs in attempt to make their bodies as close as humanly possible. Lindsay's hand wandered all over his muscular back and shoulders while his large hands tangled themselves in her messy hair. Danny rolled over on top of her and slipped his tongue between her lips. Lindsay stopped him when he moved to pull her (technique it belonged to him, but she had a habit of wearing his clothing on a regular basis) tank top. "Danny," she warned, slightly breathless.

"What? We're celebratin'." Danny declared, making it even harder for Lindsay to push him off of her.

"Yeah, well Cori and Sophie are right next door."

"Linds, I'm pretty sure that Cori knows what sex is, and Fee's too young to know what's going on anyway."

Lindsay blushed a bit at the blunt way he phrased his argument. "But, Danny…." she was cut off by his mouth covering hers.

"We'll just have to be quiet," he murmured into her ear, causing her to shiver slightly.

"Very, very quiet," she sighed as his lips latched on to her neck.

Danny slid his hands underneath her tank top to take it off, and this time, she allowed him to do so.

* * *

Lindsay woke up for a second time a few hours later, still wrapped tightly in Danny's arms. Sophia was crying. She sighed a little and mentally prepared herself to get up and calm the baby down. Lindsay loved being a mom, she really did. Sophia was one of the best things that had happened to her, but this was one of those rare moments that she wished it was just her and Danny again. It was one of those moments where she wished that she could stay snuggled up in her husband's arms all day long. "Want me to get her?" Danny asked sleepily, trailing a finger up and down Lindsay's bare arm. 

She shook her head. "It's ok, Dan, I got her. Go back to sleep." Just as she was ready to sit up and go get Sophia, she heard a door open on the other side of their room. Cori padded down the hall and into Sophia's room. Within seconds, Sophie had stopped crying, and Lindsay could hear Cori singing softly to her.

"She's a sweet girl," Danny said. "Very thoughtful."

"Yeah," Lindsay agreed. "She is. I like her a lot."

"Me too." Danny yawned and pulled Lindsay closer to him. "I like her even better now," he joked, referring to the fact that she had saved them both a trip down the hall.

"Oh shut up," Lindsay rolled her eyes, but was secretly thinking something along those same lines. "We'll have to thank her later."

"Yeah…. later," Danny said, drifting back to sleep.

**A/N Ok, how lame am I? I haven't updated in forever. SORRY!!!!! I'll try to get back on track with this story! **

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	22. Thank You

Cori shifted awkwardly in the uncomfortable leather chair she was seated in. She was in the office of her parents' attorney – one of the highest paid, most sought after attorney's in New York. You'd think with all the money that he had laying around he could afford to buy more comfortable chairs. She was uncomfortable as it was, as Lindsay had all but forced to wear a suit. She shot Lindsay an annoyed look. Lindsay smiled cheerfully back, determined to help Cori make this situation better.

The door to the office opened and a handsome, impeccably groomed man in a crisp Armani suit entered. He seemed too young to be such a successful attorney, but Cori trusted his credibility. The combination of diplomas on the walls and the fact that her parents had trusted him gave her full faith in him.

"Hello Miss Davenport, Mr. And Mrs. Messer," he said. His voice was calm, smooth and soothing. Cori relaxed a bit in her seat. "My name is Darryl Harris. I was the late Mr. And Mrs. Davenport's attorney." He sat down across them at his desk in a chair that appeared to be much more comfortable than the one that Cori was currently perched on. "I have reviewed their Last Will and Testament and am here to discuss it with you."

Cori took a deep breath. She knew that this would be difficult for her to handle, and she was determined not to break down. Mr. Harris noticed her discomfort and asked if she wanted him to give her a moment.

"No, I'm fine," she assured him. "Thank you though."

"Alright," he smiled kindly. He opened the file folder he had placed on his desk. "It seems as though your parents had taken care of everything for you," he paused, "save it be for your legal guardian in the case of their deaths before you reach age 18."

Cori blinked several times to try and control the tears and took another deep breath. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," he said ruefully, "all their money, all stocks they have…. Everything goes to you. The penthouse, the summer home, the cars…." He trailed off.

"But where do I go to?" Cori asked, suddenly a bit angry that her parents had failed to plan ahead. Wasn't her security and happiness more important than where all their money went to?

"We contacted your only living relatives, your paternal grandparents, but they adamantly refused to claim custody of you."

"They don't want anything to do with me," Cori shrugged, "I've never even met them."

"May I ask why?" Mr. Harris asked.

"They didn't like my mother." Cori sighed. "My father's parents didn't approve of their marriage because my mother was poor. She wasn't the high society, rich debutante that they wanted my dad to marry."

"Well, I'm very sorry about that," Mr. Harris said. "Unfortunately, given the situation, it seems as though you will have to be put into foster care."

"What?" Lindsay and Cori gasped at the same time.

"Isn't there some other solution?" Lindsay asked.

"None that I can see," Mr. Harris said.

"What if Cori came to live with us?" Danny asked suddenly, startling all the others.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Harris asked.

"I mean what if me an' Lindsay adopted Cori?" Danny pushed his glasses up his nose with his knuckles. "Would that be possible?"

"Um, well, I suppose," Mr. Harris shrugged. "It would be a fair amount of paperwork."

"We don't care," Danny said. "It's worth it."

"Alright then." Mr. Harris said, "It's settled."

"Don't you think we should let Cori have a say in this?" Lindsay asked.

All eyes turned to the teenage girl, who was growing even more uncomfortable under the gazes of these people. "Yes!" she said overcoming the self-consciousness and becoming very excited.

Lindsay and Danny both smiled. Lindsay grabbed Danny's hand and squeezed. _Thank you, _she mouthed.

A/N Yay! Happy Days! Yes, it's short…sorry.

**xoxo**

Lia 


	23. Bein' a Mom

It was awkward at first. Neither party was used to having a family like this. Cori really wasn't used to having a family at all, let alone parents who were not even 20 years older than she was. Danny and Lindsay were just getting used to having any kids at all, so naturally having a 15-year-old girl with raging hormones who was getting over her parents brutal murder was quite the challenge.

"Do I have to go?" Cori and Lindsay stood outside Cori's new high school.

"Yep," Lindsay said bluntly.

"I don't want to." Cori replied.

"I know. I wouldn't want to go if I were you."

Cori sighed. "I've gone to school with the same kids since pre-school."

"I thought you said none of them were really your friends," Lindsay said, referring to the first conversation they ever had.

"They're not. But at least I know them and they know me."

"Cori, honey, you'll be fine," Lindsay assured her, "You're cute and charming and funny and people will love you. You'll make friends in no time, I promise."

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

Cori hugged Lindsay hard. "Thank you so much for everything. You and Danny are the best."

Lindsay did her best to imitate her husband's cocky grin, "I know." She paused, "Do you want me to come in with you?"

"No, I think I need to do this by myself. Thanks though."

"Ok."

Cori straightened her shoulders and marched right into that public high school with a sense of determination that made Lindsay proud to call Cori her daughter. She turned when she got to the door, flashed a smile and waved, and entered the building.

* * *

"Linds, you ok?" Danny asked with concern. 

"Hmm?" It was obvious that Lindsay wasn't paying much attention to anything her husband was saying.

Danny crossed the office to where she was sitting at her desk, filling out paperwork. He placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the side of her neck. "Are you ok?" he asked again.

Lindsay spun her chair around so that she was facing him and sighed. "I'm worried about Cori."

"Why? She's perfectly safe at school."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "School's the problem."

"What do ya mean?"

"Danny… you remember high school don't you? It's brutal. Teenagers are horrible sometimes. And after all the mess she's gone through, she doesn't need any more drama."

"Lindsay, baby, Cori's strong. She can hold her own. She reminds me of you in that way." He kissed her gently on the lips.

Lindsay smiled. "You're right. I'm being stupid."

"Nope," Danny kissed her again, "You're bein' a mom."

**A/N Short, I know…I'm having trouble connecting my ideas…. like I can see the big picture… I know what I want to happen; I'm just having trouble with the filler stuff. Any ideas?**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	24. James P Roland High School

Cori walked into James P. Roland High School and was immediately claustrophobic. There were kids everywhere. It was like a swarm of killer bees… no matter where she went, they followed. And they weren't very helpful killer bees either.

"Excuse me," she prodded a girl on the shoulder, "can you tell me where the office is?"

The girl rolled her eyes and jabbed her thumb down a hallway.

"Thanks," Cori said, even though it was no help to her. She wandered down the hallway a ways before stopping to ask somebody else, getting basically the same response. She sighed in frustration.

"Excuse me?" a male voice behind her said, "Are you trying to find the office."

"Yes!" Cori exclaimed, whirling around and finding herself face to face with one of the best looking guys she'd ever seen.

"I can help you, if you'd like," he offered.

"Thank you so much," she gushed, "I'm so lost."

"Fist day?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's good to have you here. I'm Jason Marcus, by the way."

"Corrine Dav – " she stopped herself, "Corrine Messer," she corrected herself, "Call me Cori."

"Cool." Jason didn't even seem fazed by this new girl's last name slip up, something that Cori noticed and was very grateful for. He led her farther down the hallway and stopped in front of a room. "You'd think they'd put the office at the front of the school or something…" he shrugged.

"Yeah, you'd think. Well, thank you very much," Cori said. "You're the only person to even look at me so far, let alone speak to me."

"Well, looking at you is pretty easy for a guy to handle," she smiled and began to walk down the hallway. "See ya around," he called over his shoulder.

Cori's cheeks were still tinged pink from Jason's subtle compliment when she entered the office. "Hi, I need to pick up my schedule." She told the bored looking secretary.

"Uh-huh," the secretary, who's nameplate read Matilda Jones, half-heartedly rolled her wheelie chair to the computer. "Name?"

"Corinne Messer," Cori said, proud of herself to have given the right name this time. She reflected on how Danny and Lindsay hadn't pushed her to take on their last name. In fact, they had been all for her keeping her parent's last name. 'No,' she had said, 'I want to start over.' The look of pride on their faces as she made her decision had sealed the deal for her. She was a Messer now.

"Just gimme a second for it to print," Ms. Jones said in the same monotone.

"Ok, thanks," Cori was determined to make a good impression on her first day, even if it was just a grumpy secretary.

A few minutes later Ms. Jones handed Cori a schedule and a map of the gargantuan school. "Good luck," she said, in what seemed like a semi-genuine tone.

"Thanks," Cori said again, slightly sarcastic this time. She exited the office and once again was thrown into the throng of high school students. "Welcome to public school," she muttered to herself, and set off to find her first period class.

15 minutes later, and well after the bell had rung, she found it. _Crap,_she thought miserably. She eased open the door as quietly as she could. It squeaked loudly and every head in the room snapped around to see who the late comer was. "Who are you?" the teacher asked rudely.

The students' heads turned back around, but one particularly handsome one turned back around when she said, "Cori Messer…I'm new."

Jason caught her gaze and flashed her a mind-numbing smile.

"Let me see your schedule," the teacher barked.

Cori hurried to the front of the class and handed it to her. The teacher scanned it quickly and seeing that this late, class interrupting girl really was one of her pupils, handed it back. "I'm Mrs. Lockhart," she introduced herself briskly, "You may take a seat next to Mr. Marcus," she pointed, oblivious to the fact that Cori already knew who Mr. Marcus was.

Cori scurried to take a seat. "And Miss Messer?" Mrs. Lockhart added.

Cori turned around. "Yes?"

"See to it that you aren't late tomorrow. I do not tolerate tardy students."

"Ok. I'm sorry."

Mrs. Lockhart rolled her eyes. "As I was saying before Miss Messer interrupted …"

Cori slid into the seat next to Jason.

"They're not all that bad," he whispered, "the teachers, I mean," he clarified. "Lockhart's the toughest in the school."

"Is that supposed to be relieving?" Cori asked quietly.

Jason chuckled, "I don't know. Let me see your schedule."

Cori handed it to him while pretending to be listening to Mrs. Lockhart's lecture on the Rise and Downfall of the Roman Empire. A minute later Jason handed it back. "We have second and fourth period together…and the same lunch period."

"Cool." Cori said, unsure what his point in telling her this.

"I'll save you a seat," he whispered, and turned his attention back to Mrs. Lockhart.

Cori smiled to herself, and did the same.

Somehow, Cori managed to make it through the first half of the day without any more issues. Jason had been right about her teachers, for the most part they seemed pretty ok. She was feeling pretty good about herself, pretty confident, until she walked into the cafeteria. She had thought the hallways that morning had been terrifying. That was nothing compared to the sight before her right now. Taking a deep breath, she strode as confidently as she could into the room and bought her lunch.

That task tackled, another worry bombarded her. Where to sit? Jason had said that he'd save her a seat, but did he really mean it? Was he just being nice to the new girl? How she hated the whole new girl thing.

"Cori!" a voice interrupted her musing, "Over here!"

She looked up and saw Jason waving his hands in the air to get her attention. She smiled and wandered over to where he was sitting. She slid into the seat next to him. "You sure it's ok for me to sit here?" she asked timidly.

"Definitely," he assured her smiling.

"I second that!" a cute guy sitting across from her agreed.

"Ryan!" Jason scolded.

Cori just laughed. "It's ok."

"Sorry about him," Jason said, "he was dropped on the head a few too many times as a baby."

"Trust me, this is better company than at my old school!" she said, meaning every word.

"Why'd you switch schools?" Ryan asked, simply curious.

"Oh…um…" Cori wasn't sure how to answer that question without going into a long, drawn out, not to mention painful explanation of her parents murder and all the details that go with it.

"Ryan!" Jason scolded again, sensing Cori's discomfort. "That's none of your business."

Ryan looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"It's no big deal," Cori lied, "It's just a really long story."

Two guys and another girl sat down at the table. "Who's your friend?" one of them asked Jason.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I completely forgot to introduce everyone. "Everybody, this is Cori. Today's her first day. Cori this is everybody. You already know Ryan." He pointed to the guy who asked about her, "That's David." The guy next to David was Sam and the girl next to him was Marissa. "Blake's not here today, but you can meet him tomorrow, I guess."

"Guess so," Cori said like it wasn't a big deal. Inside she rejoiced though. It seemed as though Jason was inviting her to sit with them again. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all_.

* * *

Cori didn't expect Danny and Lindsay to be home when she got home from school, so the banner, cake and card congratulating her on making it through her first day of public high school in the kitchen really caught her off guard. "You guys!" she squealed, "You didn't have to do this!" she hugged each of them. 

"Well, we wanted to," Danny smiled, "It's not everyday that your oldest daughter goes to public high school for the first time."

"Thanks guys, it means a lot to me."

A/N Yes, I'm ending it there. Blah. I hate ending chapters. They're always lame endings…eh... whatever. Comment?

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	25. Real Parents

Nobody really noticed the transition from Cori addressing her adoptive parents by their names to eventually calling them Mom and Dad. It just happened. The first time it happened nobody was shocked; it didn't take anybody off guard. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

"Mom!" Cori wailed, as she burst into the house after school. Tears streamed down her face and although she was trying her best to stop them, it was to no avail.

Lindsay rushed in from the kitchen and took Cori into her arms. "What's wrong, honey?"

Cori sniffled and told her story about how Mrs. Lockhart had humiliated her in front of the whole class and everybody except for Jason and a few others had teased her about it all day long.

"It doesn't matter what they think, honey, just ignore them."

"I tried," Cori sobbed, "but it was just too much! They were so mean!"

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"No," Cori sighed, finally getting a hold of herself, "I'm probably overreacting."

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," Lindsay said and retreated to finish baking the cookies she had started before Cori's dramatic entrance. Sophia gurgled from where she was perched in the high chair so that she'd be out of Lindsay's hair. Cori followed her mother into the kitchen and plucked her baby sister out of the chair.

"I'll watch Soph for a while," she announced, taking the child back to her room.

"Thanks honey!" Lindsay called after her. She stood there smiling for a moment. She loved her family with all its flaws and confusion.

Danny arrived home from work a few hours later. His wife had not only finished baking the cookies, but had stuck a casserole in the oven for dinner. "Hey, love," he said, taking her into his arms and kissing her. "I missed you today." He nuzzled her neck.

Lindsay rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I missed you too," she kissed him again.

"Where are the girls?" Danny asked, always wanting to be aware his daughters' whereabouts.

"Cori took Sophie into her room a few hours ago. I haven't seen or heard either of them since."

"And that doesn't concern you?" Danny's eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"Um…not really?"

"Well it should!" he gently shoved his wife out of his arms and took off down the hall. Lindsay followed quickly on his heels. Danny pushed the door to Cori's bedroom open and smiled when he saw his two daughters snuggled up together, fast asleep.

"Look," he told his wife.

A soft smile crossed Lindsay's features when she saw Cori asleep on the bed, Sophia held securely in her arms.

"I love our family," Danny said quietly, emotion clogging his voice.

Lindsay closed the door quietly and led her husband back to the living room. They both sat down on the couch. Danny pulled Lindsay so that she was held tightly against his side, her head lying on his shoulder. "Me too," Lindsay agreed, "Me too."

They were quite for a while, neither of them speaking until Lindsay suddenly spoke up. "I want to have a baby," she announced.

Danny's eyes grew wider. "Whoa, Linds, slow down."

"What?" his wife asked innocently.

"Don't ya think we've got enough on our plate right now?"

Lindsay cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Honey, you know exactly what I mean! We just got outta the red, y'know?"

"No, I don't," Lindsay replied honestly.

"Babe, we just adopted a teenage girl whose parents were brutally murdered and Fee's not even one yet." Danny said reasonably.

"I guess you're right…."

"An' on top of that, our lives and the lives of our daughters were recently threatened because of Cori's biological parents' death."

Lindsay giggled suddenly.

"Montana!" Danny exclaimed with exaggerated exasperation, "I'm tryin' ta have a serious discussion here!"

Lindsay bit her lip to stop the giggles. "I'm sorry, it's not that it's funny…it's just…" she trailed off.

"Well what is it?"

"You just referred to Cori's parents as her 'biological parents.' It was cute."

Danny was puzzled. "Why is that so cute?"

Lindsay giggled again.

"Montana! I'll give you a real reason to laugh!" he said with a wicked smile and began tickling her.

"Danny!" she gasped in-between laughter, "Danny, stop!"

Danny finally did stop. He was straddling Lindsay, pinning her to the couch and she was gasping, trying her best to catch her breath. "Why was it so cute?" he asked.

Lindsay smiled softly. "You made it seem like we're Cori's real parents."

He leaned over and kissed her gently. "That's because we are."

**A/N Yeah, weird chapter, I know…I hope you didn't hate it TOO much!**

**xoxo**

Lia


	26. Family Talk

"Mom, can I bring a friend over after school? We have a huge test tomorrow and we were going to study together," Cori asked as she rushed to eat her breakfast so that she could get to school on time.

"Sure, honey," Lindsay replied distractedly. She was trying her best to feed a very fussy Sophia. The baby had kept her awake all night, so she was rather dreading going to work today. "I won't be home until five, so behave yourself."

"You know I will!" Cori pecked her mother on the cheek and grabbed her bag. She started to head out the door, but a squawk from her sister reminded her that she'd forgotten something. "Sorry Sophie!" she said, coming back and kissing her sister. Lindsay had given up on feeding her, so Cori picked the little girl up and held her to her chest. "Be good for mommy and the babysitter, alright, sis?" She kissed her again and handed her back to her mother. "See ya!" she called as she went out the door.

Cori smiled the whole way to school that day. She sauntered through the hallways, the fear that she had the first day totally dissolved. She arrived to Mrs. Lockhart's class with minutes to spare before the bell rang and slid into her seat next to Jason.

He brightened visibly. "Hey!"

"Hi," she smiled, "my mom said you could come over today. She won't be home until five, but I promised we'd behave. " She rolled her eyes.

"It's kinda hard to misbehave while cramming for the world's hardest test on the Roman Empire," he smirked.

"True. I see what you're saying," she laughed.

"I'll have to be home by six, though, so that I can get dinner on the table for my mom and brother."

"Oh!" the mention of siblings had reminded Cori of something. "I'll have to be watching my baby sister… is that ok? She should be quiet. She might even take a nap."

"Sure, that's fine," Jason assured her.

"Good. I can't wait."

Jason smiled. "Me neither."

The day passes slowly and was painfully uneventful. By the time lunch rolled around, Cori thought she was going to go insane. She forgot her purse in her last class before lunch and since she had to go back and get it, she arrived in the cafeteria later than usual. By the time she bought her lunch and headed over to the table where she sat, Marissa was sitting in her seat. Cori had become rather close with the little group she ate lunch with, but for reasons unknown, Marissa had always acted cold and aloof towards Cori. Cori shook it off, even though they all sat in the exact same seats everyday. She took a seat in-between Ryan and David and began to eat.

The conversation was minimal, for once. Usually Ryan livened things up, but today he seemed distant and upset. Marissa on the other hand, wouldn't shut up. She was hanging all over Jason in a way that made Cori resent her and feel a bit jealous. She was giggling and kept touching him on the shoulder and ruffling his hair. Jason just smiled and laughed along with her.

"I'm not too hungry," Cori announced and got up to throw away the lunch she had barely picked at.

"Yeah, me neither," Ryan stood up and followed her.

They both lingered at the trashcan for a moment, eyeing Marissa from where they stood.

"Guess we know how she feels about him," Ryan said ruefully.

"Yeah," Cori agreed, a tad bitterly. It dawned on her just then. "You like her, don't you?"

Ryan's ears tinged red, but he nodded slightly. "I've had a crush on her since we were 10. She lives across the hall from me, so we grew up together, but she's always liked Jason better."

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I'd talk to her, but she obviously hates me."

"You're competition, Cori. That's why she doesn't like you."

"What do you mean?" Cori honestly didn't have a clue what Ryan was talking about.

"Anyone can see that Jason adores you. She feels threatened by you."

"Oh." Cori's answer was simple, but her heart swelled and began to beat a little faster. "I like him." she said quietly. Now it was her turn to blush.

"I noticed," he teased. "Come on. It smells weird over here."

"Yeah," Cori laughed. "It does."

* * *

"I'm sorry about Marissa," Jason told Cori as they walked back to her apartment after school.

"What about her?" Cori decided to play dumb.

Jason rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that. I saw you and Ryan talking."

Cori bit her lip and blushed. "So we were both a little jealous. What's the big deal?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You were jealous?"

"Yeah," she looked away.

Jason smiled. "Look, Ryan, Marissa and I have known each other since elementary school. We grew up in the same building. It was always the three of us until you came along. I mean, we hung out with other people, you know, Sam, David and all them, but it was primarily just the three of us. She feels threatened by you."

Cori took a deep breath. "Should she?" she held her breath until he answered.

Jason grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "Yes."

Cori looked up at him, shy all of a sudden, and smiled.

"You know, you don't talk about your family very much," Jason said suddenly after several minutes of companionable silence. "I mean, I didn't even know you had a sister until this morning."

Cori stiffened a little. Jason didn't know anything about her adoption or her biological parents' murder. She figured she'd have to tell him eventually, and she supposed now was as good a time as any.

"I was adopted a little while before coming to Roland," she said quietly. "My biological parents were killed a few months ago."

"I had no idea, I'm so sorry," Jason's sympathy was obviously genuine.

"No, it's ok. I mean, I loved my parents, but I'm really much happier now than I ever was with them. You've probably heard of them. Ron and Maureen Davenport?"

"Oh yeah! I read about that in the newspaper. I didn't know they had a daughter."

"Not many people did. Being parents was not their first priority in life."

"I'm sorry." He said again, not knowing what else to say.

"Really, it's ok. Danny and Lindsay, my parents that adopted me, are both CSI's. They were involved with my parent's case. That's how we met. To make a long story short, we got really close really fast because we were in a safe house since we were being threatened and when they found out that I had nowhere to go, they adopted me. And now I have a real family."

"Well, I guess it all works out, then," Jason shrugged.

"Yeah. I really love them. And Sophie, my baby sister."

"Man, you're life sounds great."

"It is. What about you? You don't talk about your family much either." She felt like she could ask him questions now, since he knew about her family. She'd wanted to ask many times before, but it felt too much like prying, so she resisted.

"Ah, nothing too great. My dad walked out on us right after my little brother was born. My mom works two jobs to keep meals on the table for us. My little brother, Jonah, is in an after school program so that I can work, too. I work most days after school, but I had today off. My mom picks him up on the way home from work, and since I usually get off work before her, I make dinner and stuff so that she can eat before she goes to her second job." He blushed a little when he realized he'd been rambling.

"Today was your day off? You could have told me! You shouldn't have to waste it studying with me."

"I wanted to." He said simply.

They arrived at her apartment a few minutes later. Cori went to their next-door neighbor's apartment before her's to pick up Sophia. "Hi, Mrs. Marshall," she greeted their grandmotherly neighbor. "How was Sophie today?"

"Good, good, come in Cori," she beckoned them in, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Jason, a friend from school."

"I see," the older lady said with a twinkle in her eye. "Sophia's in the kitchen." She led the way to the kitchen where Sophia sat happily in a high chair that was usually vacant except for when Sophie or Mrs. Marshall's grandchildren were visiting. Sophie squealed in delight when she saw her sister.

"Hey, Soph!" Cori lifted the baby out of her chair. She kissed the top of her head. "I missed you!"

"Here, I'll take your books," Jason offered.

Cori handed them to him. "Thanks!" she grabbed Sophie's diaper bag and headed towards the door. "We'd better go study. Thanks, Mrs. M!"

**A/N Yep…so that's it for now. Up next…the study date and Danny meets Jason…should get interesting!**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	27. A Father's Role

Cori let the three of them into her apartment and flipped on the light. "You can just set the books on the coffee table," she instructed Jason. "I'll be right back."

She went to Sophia's bedroom and picked out a few of the baby's favorite toys to bring back to the living room. Once seated, she plopped Sophie on the floor surrounded by plush animals and busy boxes. "Study time," she announced, not very thrilled about it.

"Yeah," Jason rolled his eyes. "Fun."

"Hey, you're with me, it has to be fun!" Cori shot back wickedly.

"True," he leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips. She didn't even have time to react before he pulled away. He blushed. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Cori guided his mouth back to hers and kissed him for real this time.

They were interrupted about thirty seconds later by a squawking Sophia. Cori sighed. "I love my sister," she said, half sarcastic.

Jason laughed and kissed her gently. "She's right though, we should be studying."

Cori rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she picked up her notebook off of the coffee table and flipped through her neatly written notes.

The two found a happy medium between actually studying and goofing off. The system worked wonders, and Cori decided that she was most definitely going to use this method again sometime in the near future, if possibly, cutting out the studying part as much as she could. It did have good results, however, they both had a good time and felt a lot more confident about the next day's test.

"I think we're good," Jason announced after an hour and a half of studying mixed in with a few stolen kisses, two snack breaks and one Sophia Play Time break. He gathered his books like he was going to leave.

"Don' t leave," Cori blurted out.

"I wasn't going to," he smiled.

She blushed. "Oh."

All of a sudden Jason burst out laughing.

"What?" she asked, very confused.

He pointed to Sophia. Cori had barely noticed how quiet she had been in the last few minutes. The baby had fallen asleep on the floor, one cheek smooshed into the carpet and her bottom high in the air. Cori giggled herself, and then picked her snoozing sister up off of the floor and carried her to her crib.

She returned a minute later. "Wanna see what's on TV?" she asked, not knowing what else to do.

"Sure. I don't really get to watch a lot of TV," Jason admitted, "I'm too busy."

"Good, I'm glad I could be assistance to Operation: Teach Jason to be a Teenager."

He snickered. "You got that right."

After a moment of searching (Sophia loved to play Hide and Seek with the remote) Cori was able to find the device and flipped the TV on. They channel surfed for a few minutes until they finally agreed on a rerun of a courtroom drama show. Somewhere during the first commercial break, Jason's hand found Cori's and intertwined their fingers. By the time the show had come back on, Cori was extremely too tired to be able to even keep her head up, so she rested it on Jason's strong shoulder.

By the time Danny and Lindsay got home, Jason's arm had snaked around her shoulders, and Cori looked quite content. The young lovebirds were actually oblivious to the fact that Cori's parents were standing in the room until Danny cleared his throat rather loudly, startling them both.

"Oh, um…" Cori tried to think of something to say, but words failed her.

Jason, however, was on top of things. He immediately jumped to his feet and walked right up to Danny. "Hi, Mr. Messer, I'm Jason Marcus," he offered his hand, which Danny ignored.

"Cori, why do you have a boy in the house?" he asked bluntly.

"I asked Mom," Cori said innocently. It was true after all.

Danny turned his eagle eye from his daughter to his wife, who held up her hands in protest. "You said something about a friend, Cori, you never mentioned your friend being a boy."

Cori rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at your mother, Cori," Danny scolded.

"Sorry." She said in a typical teenager I-don't-really-care fashion.

"About what?" Danny pried, "Lyin' to your mother or bein' disrespectful."

"Both," Cori said through clenched teeth.

"Good," Danny said, "Now about the boy thing."

"Dad, he's standing right here." Cori said, her tone a mixture of boredom and embarrassment.

"Your point?"

"Look, Mr. Messer, I'm sorry that you didn't know the whole truth about me coming over today. I honestly didn't know that you weren't ok with this. If I had known, I never would have come over. I'm very sorry." Jason blurted out.

Danny nodded curtly. "Thank you, Jarred, you may go."

"Dad, it's Jason. And I'll see him out."

"No, you will not," Danny said sternly. "You will stay right here. We have some talking to do."

"But Dad," she knew she was whining, but at this point she didn't really care.

"It's ok, Cori," Jason said, squeezing her hand quickly, "I'll see you tomorrow." Without another word, he left the apartment.

"Was that really necessary?" Cori fumed, flopping down on the couch angrily and crossing her arms.

"Yes," Danny said.

"Mom? A little help here?" Cori begged.

"Cori, look, honey, your father and I realize that you are fifteen years old and that you want to date, and we're ok with that."

"We are?" Danny interrupted.

Lindsay punched her husband lightly in the arm to shut him up. "Yes, we are. We'd just really appreciate it if you'd tell us the truth about these things."

"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God," Cori mumbled.

"Now that's the kinda attitude I'm lookin' for," Danny said, a half smile on his face. "He seems like a decent enough kid, Cor, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"How knight in shining armor of you, Dad," Cori grouched, still embarrassed about the whole situation.

Both of her parents had to chuckle at that one.

"It's not funny," Cori huffed, getting up and stomping to her room, where she succeeded in slamming the door loudly enough that it woke Sophia up.

"I'll get Fee if you'll talk to Cori," Danny wagered, "I don't think she wants ta talk ta me right now."

"Don't worry about it, honey," she kissed him sweetly on the lips. "It all comes with teenage girl territory. You'll get used to it soon enough."

"One would hope," Danny muttered as they split up to tend to each of their daughters.

Lindsay knocked on Cori's door and hesitantly pushed it open when she got no answer. The girl was sprawled across her bed, iPod in hand and ear buds in her ears. She pulled them out when she saw her mother standing there. "Wanna talk?" Lindsay asked.

"Not particularly," Cori said, which in girl language meant, "Yes, desperately, but I'm pretending that I don't to alleviate the embarrassment of this situation." She said up anyway, as if inviting Lindsay to come sit on the bed, which she did.

"He's just being a dad," Lindsay assured her.

"My biological dad wasn't like that," Cori muttered, then immediately regretted it. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Lindsay said lightly. "My dad wasn't this way either, and it got me into a lot of trouble." She told her quietly.

"What do you mean?" Cori asked. Lindsay rarely mentioned her family, and so naturally the girl was curious.

"My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was 15," she began, "and immediately all of my dad's attention was focused on her. I was an only child, so I was used to being the center of attention all the time. And I hated not being the center of attention anymore. I became a little rebellious, just to see if my dad would do anything about it. He didn't. I became more and more wild. I got involved with the wrong crowd, started drinking at parties, hooking up with random guys. I nearly got arrested a few times. I got pregnant when I was 17," Lindsay looked at her daughter quickly, and then finished her story. "I ended up having a miscarriage, and that was kind of the point where I woke up and realized how stupid I'd been. I cut off all ties I had with that crowd. I stopped drinking. And then my mother died. Her last words to me were, "Don't mess up again, Lindsay, you're better than that." Tears filled Lindsay's eyes. "Just think, Cori, what if my dad had been like your dad? What if he had been overprotective and watching my every move. I wouldn't have turned into the wild child that I was. I don't want that to happen to you." A tear tracked down her cheek. She pulled her daughter into her arms. "Just be careful, honey."

Danny had been standing in the doorway for that last little bit. He entered the room, now and joined in on the group hug. "I just want you to be safe, Cori," he whispered. "I love you too much to see you get hurt."

All of the Messers in the room had tears in their eyes now. "I know, Dad," Cori said, "Thank you." She sniffed, and they all laughed a little as they pulled apart. "Jason really is a nice guy, Dad," she assured him, "He'd never hurt me."

"I know," Danny admitted sheepishly. "After bein' a CSI for as long as I have, you learn to weed out the good ones from the bad. And he's definitely a good one."

Cori slugged him in the arm. "Well now you've scared him away for good!" she joked.

"Nah, he'll be back, trust me. He seemed like the kinda kid who can fend for himself."

"Yeah," I guess you're right," Cori.

"Let's go out for dinner," Lindsay suggested spontaneously. This wasn't something the family did often, for various reasons. First, it was hard to find a place in New York that didn't drain your bank account, short of burgers and fries. Second, Sophia was a force to be reckoned with when it came to restaurants

"Good idea," Danny agreed. "Let's go."

A/N Don't hurt me for the insanely lame ending or the sappy parts there in the middle. Sap just seeps out of my brain and into my fingers. Sorry. I just can't help myself.

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	28. Baby Talk

"I didn't get you into too much trouble, did I?" Jason had camped out at Cori's locker, waiting for her to arrive at school.

Cori smiled as she twirled the lock to her combination. "None," she said, "Dad's just way overprotective."

"Good. I was worrying about that all night long," he admitted.

Cori kissed him gently. "Don't worry about it."

Jason grabbed her hand and they started walking down the hall. "We have a test to take," he informed her.

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

* * *

"Crap," Lindsay looked down at the object in her hand, willing it to magically change its diagnosis. She sighed and sat down on the toilet, thankful that Danny had remembered to close the seat for once. Rather than discarding this one in the trashcan like she had done the others, she placed it on the counter. She was going to have to show Danny sooner or later.

"Montana?" Danny banged on the door, worry evident in his voice. It seemed that it was going to be sooner. "You ok?"

"Fine," she called back, walking over to the door and unlocking it. Danny burst into the bathroom.

"You sure?" he asked her, kissing her gently on the lips.

"Positive," she said and then winced. Why couldn't she have used a better word?

"See! You're not ok!" he took her into his arms. "What's wrong? Tell me what's goin' on."

Almost involuntarily, Lindsay glanced at the home pregnancy test lying on the counter. Danny raised his eyebrows when he finally noticed it sitting on the counter. "Montana, what's that?" he asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew what it was.

Lindsay bit her lip. "A home pregnancy test," she squeaked out.

"And what'd it say?" he crossed the room to pick up the little white stick. He glanced down at it and saw a pink plus sign looking up at him happily. "Linds, are we havin' a baby?"

"It might be wrong," she blurted out, panicking slightly, "I mean, I did two others and they all said the same thing, but it could be wrong? Right? They can't all be right every time?"

"Montana," Danny tried to interrupt, but she didn't listen.

"So, really, I might not be pregnant. It could be a fluke!"

"Lindsay," Danny said.

"What?" she snapped.

"Do you not want a baby?" he asked, slightly confused.

"What? No! I want a baby!" she exclaimed.

"Then why does it matter if it's wrong or not?" he asked, "Why are you freakin' out about this. You weren't like this with Fee."

"Because you don't want a baby," she said in a small voice.

"What? When did I say that?"

"You said we should wait," she said in the same little voice. She bit her lip. "You said we had too much on our plate's right now and that we should wait until our lives weren't so crazy. So I was afraid that you wouldn't want it." She refused to make eye contact with him.

"Lindsay," Danny said quietly, gently. "I'm so sorry you thought that. I'm sorry you were afraid to tell me." He crossed the room and took his unresponsive wife into his arms gently. He could feel tears soaking into his shirt. "Sure, this might not be the most ideal time to have another baby, but I still want him or her," he assured her.

She looked up at him, finally. "You do?"

Danny had to laugh a little at the surprise in her voice. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "Babe, I love you and I love our family. And, I have every intention of addin' a few more little Montanas to our family, if that's alright with you. No matter when they are wantin' to come into this world."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really." He smiled and tipped her chin up so that he could kiss her. "We can go to the doctor and find out for sure," he told her.

"And you'll be ok with it either way?"

"Yes," he assured her, "I'll be happy, no matter what the doctor says."

"Good," Lindsay laughed a little, "because I really, really want this baby."

"Me too, love, me too."

* * *

"Congratulations," the nice, young nurse told the couple, "You're having a baby."

"Really?" Lindsay asked.

"Really," the lady laughed.

"Thank you," she said. It was directed at the nurse, but Danny knew that he was talking to him too.

"C'mon, let's get outta here," Danny told his wife. He glanced up at the nurse. "No offence."

She laughed. "None taken."

Danny took his wife out to lunch, where the baby was obviously the dominant –rather only- topic of conversation.

"When are we going to tell everybody?" Lindsay asked.

"Not so soon, this time," Danny said, remembering how he'd blurted it out to everybody the moment they knew.

"Yeah, but it shouldn't be too long. I think we should tell Cori first," she suggested.

"Good idea. She'll just have to keep her mouth shut until we tell everybody else."

"She'll be fine," Lindsay laughed. "She's not five, you know."

"Yeah, she made that painfully clear when she brought that boy home," Danny said sarcastically, still a bit unsure of the situations.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I'm really excited for this baby," she admitted.

Danny smiled and reached out to grab her hand. "Me too," he said, somewhat shyly. "Honestly, when I told you that we should wait, I wasn't so sure that I was ready for another baby, y'know? I didn't know if I'd be able to handle it."

"But you're sure now, right?" A hint of alarm was in his wife's voice.

"Never been so sure of anything in my life," he said, "Well, almost." He laughed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do, And I feel exactly the same way."

**A/N Geez. The ends of my chapters keep getting lamer and lamer. So sorry. Review anyway?**

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	29. Daughters vs Sons

"Cori, I have something to tell you," Lindsay said, walking into her daughter's room and sitting down on the bed.

Cori's eyes widened in alarm. "Is something wrong?" she asked, worried.

Lindsay laughed. "No, no," she told her, "quite the contrary, actually."

"Well, what is it, then?"

Lindsay smiled. "I'm having a baby." She bit her lip, waiting for Cori's reaction.

"Really?" the girl asked, a smile growing on her face.

"Really," Lindsay confirmed.

"That's exciting," Cori gushed.

"I know," Lindsay couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. "I'm really excited, too."

"What about dad?"

"He's excited as well," Lindsay assured her.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Cori asked. This seemed to be the classic first question that is asked when you first announce you're pregnant.

"I really don't care," Lindsay said honestly, "but, a boy would be nice, for your father's sake."

Cori laughed. "Yeah, I suppose he's sort of out numbered."

"He sure is," Lindsay laughed.

Cori got up and went to her computer. "I have some homework to finish," she said ruefully.

"That's fine. Goodnight, Cori," Lindsay said walking to the door.

"Goodnight, Mom."

Lindsay was halfway out the door and into the hallway when she suddenly remembered the conversation she'd had with Danny after they went to the doctor. "Cori?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you not say anything about the baby yet?" she asked, "We wanted to keep it quiet for a little while."

Cori smiled. "Sure. No problem, Mom."

* * *

Lindsay smiled as she got her younger daughter ready for bed. Babies were such an amazing thing. The thought that she'd given this little girl life and that another one was on the way was almost overwhelming.

"Mama, Dada," Sophie babbled happily. "Co-wee."

Lindsay couldn't help but giggle at Sophia's version of Cori's name. She finished changing her diaper and started wrestling her into her pajamas.

A pair of arms wound their way around her waist as she settled Sophia into her crib, armed with her blankie and a pacifier. She jumped.

A rumble of laugher was present in her ear. "I didn't know you're so jumpy, Montana," Danny teased, kissing her neck.

"Don't do that," she said crossly, turning around in his embrace. "It scared me."

"So I noticed." Danny kissed her gently.

She tried to hit him in the arm, but his arms wrapped around her wouldn't allow it. He laughed at the look of annoyance and defeat on her face.

"Stop laughing at me!" she scowled.

"Or what?" he asked, ready to have a faux fight.

"Or I'll never kiss you, ever again," she said triumphantly, wiggling out of his arms and running down the hall.

"I don't think so!" Danny called after her.

Lindsay tried to barricade herself in the bathroom, but Danny was too quick and he made it into the room before she had a chance to even lock the door. "Nice try, Linds," he laughed.

"Not fair," she grumbled.

"It is too fair," he shot back.

Lindsay turned her back on him and went to the sink to brush her teeth and wash her face. Once more, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. "No," she said, intent on acting angry.

"Yes," he said, trailing kisses down her neck.

"Stop, Danny, I'm mad at you," she could suppress a smile as she said this.

"No, you're not," he told her, spinning her around and bracing his arms on the counter behind him.

"Danny - "

His lips on hers cut off any statement she was about to make. He kissed her deeply, eliminating any feelings of faux or real annoyance that she had with him. She locked her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer.

"Mmm, Danny," she sighed against his lips.

He broke the kiss and trailed a finger down the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. "I love you, Montana," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," she said.

He held her, touching his forehead to hers in a rare moment of quiet reflection. Between their daughters and their crazy work schedule they hardly had enough time for each other. These moments, which used to be an everyday occurrence, were now cherished treats that only happened every once in a while. Danny smiled and kissed his wife again. "Bed time," he told her, "Mommy to be needs her sleep, and so does Baby."

Lindsay smiled, loving the way he was always looking out for her and their children. Sure, he was a little on the overprotective side, but she thought it was cute and endearing. "Only if you'll tuck me in," she teased.

"Oh, you can count on that, Montana."

* * *

"Danny?" Lindsay asked later when they were cuddled together in bed. His hand rested protectively on her stomach, his chin snuggled up next to her neck.

"Hmm?" he asked, somewhat sleepily, placing a kiss just below her ear.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"I don't really care, Montana, as long as it's ours." It had become a nasty habit of Danny's since they'd been married to say things like this that were resting on the fine line in between romantic and cheesy. Regardless, Lindsay soaked every word up like a sponge. She was a romantic/cheesy kind of girl.

"Really, though, don't you want a boy? Don't you have enough girls to deal with already?"

"Sure, a boy would be nice," he admitted, "But I honestly don't care if we have another girl. What about you?"

Lindsay had given it thought in the last few weeks since she'd found out she was pregnant. Like Danny, she would be happy with either gender, but she did find herself leaning in one direction. "I kind of want a boy," she told him, grinning at his pleasantly surprised reaction.

"And why would that be, Mrs. Messer?" He asked, flipping her around so that she was facing him.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "I guess I just want somebody for you to teach to play football or baseball or soccer or whatever it is that you want to teach him. Plus, with at least one of each, I'd feel like we had a completed family."

"I can teach sports to Fee or Cori, you know. Girls can play sports, too." He kissed her on the nose.

"I know. I guess I just really want a Danny Jr. running around the house," she blushed slightly when she said this, something she'd never quite grown out of, even after being with Danny for so long. Luckily for her, he found this just as endearing as she found his cheesiness and overprotective tendencies.

"Oh, I see," Danny laughed, "one of me isn't enough?"

Lindsay giggled. "Nope, guess not."

"I kinda like the sound of that," he told her.

"Do you now?" she laughed.

"Yeah, I do."

"Do you have any names in mind?" Lindsay asked suddenly.

"Honey, we just barely found out," he teased.

"I know. Still, a name is very important. You can't say you haven't thought about it at all."

"Yeah, I've thought about it," he said.

"Well," she prompted.

"Well, what?" he asked.

"What have you got in mind?"

Danny sighed. "Boy or girl?"

"Either." She wasn't going to let him get away with not telling her anything.

"Ok, um…for boys I was thinking maybe Landon or Jackson or Luke," he eyed his wife carefully when making his suggestions, gauging her reaction.

She smiled. "I'm surprised," she admitted.

"Good surprised or bad surprised?"

"Good surprised. Jackson was on the top of my list. Luke was up there too, but I hadn't even thought of Landon. I like it."

Danny smiled. He'd done well. "What about girls?" he asked her.

"Well, Ava, Ella or Chloe," she said without hesitation.

"Wow. You've really given this a lot of thought."

"Yeah, I have," she smiled sheepishly.

"I like Chloe," he said.

"Me too," she said. "That was my favorite."

"Well that was easy," Danny laughed. "Chloe for a girl, Jackson for a boy."

"And the good thing is," she said with a teasing smile, "We have 8 months to change our minds."

**A/N** **Yep. So there it is. Kind of choppy. Sorry. I try. **

**xoxo**

**Lia**


	30. Nightmares

"I'm going to start working night shifts a coupla times a week," Danny announced out of the blue as he helped his wife clean up the dinner dishes.

Lindsay whirled around to face him, brandishing a spatula in her hand. "What? Why? Do we really need the money that badly?" If they were having financial issues, this would be the first time she'd heard of it. Danny balanced the checkbook and paid all the bills, so she was oblivious to any money matters he didn't inform her of.

"No, not necessarily," Danny began.

"Then why would you want to be away from your family more often if you don't need to?" Lindsay said accusingly.

Danny approached her and removed the spatula from her hands. He placed his hands gently on his shoulders before continuing. "Calm down, Montana. We're not in debt and I'm not tryin' to avoid you. But, in case you haven't noticed, we have a teenage girl, an eighteen month old and another one on the way. Baby's aren't cheap, y'know, and I just think the extra money will come in handy."

Lindsay scowled. "But I like having you home at night," she whined.

Danny kissed her reassuringly on the forehead. "It'll only be a few times a week. I'll be home most nights."

'A few times a week' translated to four nights in a row in all reality. It wasn't what Danny had in mind when he made this decision, but it was all he was offered, so he took it without complaint.

The first night without Danny was tolerable. Lindsay was fairly used to sleeping alone every now and then due to the hectic and unpredictable schedules their profession offered. She managed to get nearly eight solid hours on the second night, as well. The third night, however, wasn't quite so forgiving.

_He was there. She could sense him. He was there and he was going to kill her. She could smell his foul odor and putrid breath. She heard the footsteps as he paced up and down the hallway relentlessly. Her senses were in overdrive, every scent, sight or smell sending a prickle of fear up her spine and numbing her body. And the screaming! Who was that screaming? He was going for Sophie, for Cori and there was nothing she could do about it. The screaming wouldn't stop! Cries of anguish and fear pierced her ears, reverberating until she wasn't sure what was real and what she was imagining. _

"_Stop!" she cried, "Leave them alone! They didn't do anything to you!"_

_The pacing stopped. He walked into the room where he'd bound her to a chair. He put his mouth right next to her ear. "Shh, darling, don't make a fuss!"_

"_Danny!" she screamed, "Danny, where are you? I need you!" _

_He chuckled. "Danny can't save you now," he whispered menacingly. "You're all on your own." _

_The words rang in her ears: "Danny can't save you now…Danny can't save you now…Danny can't save you now…"_

Lindsay woke with a start, a cold sweat chilling her body. That screaming! It was still there. She panicked for a moment until she realized it was just Sophie. Trying to pull herself together, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded down the hall to her youngest daughter's bedroom.

Sophia's cries stopped almost immediately when she saw her mother enter the room. She held her arms over her head, signaling that she wanted to get out of her crib. Usually Lindsay didn't allow this, thinking that it would teach the baby bad sleeping habits, but tonight Lindsay needed comfort as much as her daughter did. She lifted Sophia out of her crib and settled down in the rocking chair with her child snuggled against her chest.

"Did you have a bad dream, too?" she asked her daughter softly, kissing the downy head resting on her chest.

Within minutes Sophia had been lulled back to sleep by the gently motion of the rocking chair and the soft croons coming from her mother. Lindsay didn't want to part with her baby yet, so she sat there for nearly half an hour, rocking gently back and forth, cradling the small piece of life she and Danny had made.

"Mornin' Montana," Danny greeted her cheerfully with a kiss.

Lindsay glanced at the clock. "It's noon," she said.

"Good afternoon, Montana," Danny corrected kissing her again.

"Rough shift last night?"

"Yeah, I didn't get in until after five," he told her.

"I'm sorry." She turned away from him and began loading her and Sophie's lunch dishes.

"You alright?" Danny asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

"Yeah," she said distractedly, "I just didn't sleep too well last night. Sophie woke me up. I think she had a nightmare or something." It wasn't a lie, she decided, just not the whole truth. There was nothing wrong with that. Danny didn't need to know that Sophia had only been awake for less than ten minutes.

"Do you wanna take a nap or somethin'? I could clean Fee up and put her down for her nap."

"No," Lindsay said a little too quickly. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Danny said with concern.

"Thanks, Danny, that means a lot," she said sarcastically. She pulled away from him and lifted her daughter out of her high chair. Fetching a clean dishrag, she began to wipe off the smears of peanut butter off of Sophia's face.

Danny allowed Lindsay to cool off by not persisting until after she'd put Sophia in her bedroom for a nap. After she'd quietly closed the door and tiptoed down the hall, Danny approached her and pulled her into his arms. "That's not what I meant," he said. He didn't have to explain what he was referring to.

Lindsay buried her face in his strong chest. "I know. I'm sorry. I guess I am just tired. And hormonal." She added as an afterthought, causing Danny to chuckle.

"You have every right to be," he informed her. "Why don't you just lie down for a few minutes while Fee is sleeping?"

Lindsay sighed. She was really tired. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep after her nightmare. When she heard Danny come home, she quickly scampered into bed and pretended to be sleeping until she was sure he'd dozed off himself. "Only if you'll come with me."

"Deal." Danny didn't mention the fact that he'd just woken up. He could sense that something wasn't right, but didn't want to push it in her fragile state. So, he decided to do as she requested and retired to their bedroom with her.

"Thanks, Danny." Lindsay fell asleep almost instantly in the circle of her husband's arms.

**A/N Sorry about the really long wait. I forgot about this story and then just couldn't come up with anything. But, I've got ideas to last me a couple of chapters:) haha. As always, any ideas are greatly appreciated. **

**xoxo**

**Lia**


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